The Results
by SnapShots.and.StoryPlots
Summary: This is the sequel to my one-shot, "2 Minutes". Now that Amy knows the results of her pregnancy test, she needs to tell Ty.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Is She or Isn't She?

Amy poured spaghetti noodles into the pot of boiling water, then checked her watch. She had never felt so nervous about her husband's arrival. She had tried keeping herself busy all day, but she couldn't stop thinking about the results of the pregnancy test that morning. As she put garlic bread into the oven, she could hear a truck pulling up outside. Her stomach tightened and she closed her eyes, until the sudden feeling of nausea passed. Listening to the sound of a car door shutting and footsteps growing louder, she wondered what the best way, to tell Ty would be. Should she tell him right away or wait until later?

Before Amy could reach a decision, Ty reached the top of the stairs. "Hey, I'm home," Ty said, taking his coat and boots off.

"I see that," Amy said, smiling at her husband, "how was work?"

"Not too bad," Ty joined his wife and looked to see what was cooking, "we stayed busy, but there was nothing too crazy to deal with."

Amy stirred the spaghetti sauce, debating if she should bring up her test results or not. "I hope you're hungry," she said, giving herself more time.

"Always," Ty said with a grin, then placing his hand on his wife's stomach, he asked, "what about you? Are you feeling hungrier than normal?"

"Ty..."

"What? I'm just curious..."

"Actually, I don't have much of an appetite, right now..."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I've just had a little bit of an upset stomach. I'm sure it's nothing serious, though."

Ty nodded, unsure how to respond. If Amy was actually sick, he certainly didn't want to take it lightly, but he couldn't help thinking that she could be experiencing the early symptoms of pregnancy. Wanting to play it safe, he suggested that she lie down on the couch and let him finish making dinner. Amy accepted Ty's offer, thanking him with a kiss, and then went straight to the couch.

As Ty set the table, he looked over at his wife; she was facing away from him, and he couldn't tell if she had fallen asleep or not. Without realizing it, he began to smile; pregnant women were known for being tired. The smile faded as quickly as it had appeared, and Ty reminded himself that he didn't know anything for certain, yet. Now, his own stomach was in knots; he couldn't wait to know if he was going to be a daddy or not.

As soon as dinner was ready, Ty went to wake Amy up, but what was surprised to see that she wasn't asleep. "Hey, you're awake," he said, leaning down and kissing her head, "I thought you had fallen asleep."

"No, I guess I've just been lost in thought."

"Oh? And what were you thinking about?" Ty tried to encourage Amy to tell him what he wanted to know.

Amy sat up, and gave Ty her hand, allowing him to help her up from the couch. "I was just thinking about us... and our life," she answered.

"I see," Ty said, wondering how long she was going to keep this up.

"Is dinner ready?" Amy asked, turning to see the table.

"Yes, it is..." Ty answered, but he wasn't thinking about food right now.

"Great, let's eat," said Amy, already on her way to the table.

Ty followed, resisting the urge to just ask her if she was pregnant or not. Amy had promised that she would tell him, and if she wanted to make the moment special, he didn't want to ruin it for her.

"I see your appetite has returned," he noted, sitting down at the table.

Amy blushed, realizing she had already filled her plate, before Ty had even sat down. "Yeah, I guess it has."

"So, how has your day been?" Ty asked, trying to sound casual.

"Not bad, I've just been trying to keep busy," Amy told him.

"You're not wearing yourself out, I hope..."

"No, I'm not, I promise."

Ty took a bite of his dinner, hoping that Amy would use the moment of silence to tell him what was really on her mind.

Amy twirled her spaghetti, knowing that Ty was waiting for her to tell him her results. She wanted to tell him, but she was having mixed emotions and didn't know what to say. She tried to imagine herself telling him, and how he would react. She had rehearsed the conversation in her head, all day, trying to figure out the best way to tell him, but she still didn't feel ready to say it out loud.

After they had finished their dinner, without much conversation, Ty joined his wife at the sink, to help wash the dishes. Why hasn't she said anything? Did she even take the test? They had discussed having a baby and agreed that they were ready and wanted to try getting pregnant. Ty had helped Amy pick out the test, wanting to get the most accurate brand, and she had told him she would find out today. What if she had changed her mind? What if she no longer felt ready to have a baby? Ty wanted her to know that he cared and that she could always tell him anything.

"I love you," he said, breaking the silence.

Amy looked at him, as her thoughts were interrupted by his words. "I love you, too," she replied, returning her focus to the dishes.

"You seem distracted."

"I do?"

"Yeah, is everything ok?"

Amy just nodded.

"You know, you can always talk to me...about anything," Ty assured her.

"I know."

Ty took Amy's hand, so she couldn't finish scrubbing the pot. "Amy," Ty said, waiting for her to look at him. When he had her attention, he continued, "we both know you were supposed to take that pregnancy test this morning."

Amy stared at Ty, not sure what to say. She couldn't avoid it anymore, she had to tell him the truth about the results and her feelings.

When Amy hadn't said anything, Ty proceeded, "You promised, that once you knew, you would tell me. So why haven't said anything yet?"

"I'm sorry, I just...I've been trying to figure out the best way to tell you."

"Amy, you don't have to tell me in any special way, I just want to know."

"Can we at least sit down first, before I tell you?"

"Of course," Ty smiled and followed Amy to the couch.

Once they sat down, Amy took a deep breath and faced Ty. He took her hands in his own, and waited for her to gather her thoughts.

"Okay," she began, "so, I took the test this morning, and according to the test..." Amy paused, preparing herself for Ty's reaction.

Ty stared into his wife's blue eyes, trying to get a read on her and figure out if she was about to share good or bad news. "And?" He asked, letting her know he was ready to hear the answer.

"And, it turns out, I'm... not pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Not Pregnant

"Are you okay?" Amy asked, waiting for her husband to say something...anything.

Ty stared at his wife's hands, that he still held in his own. He had felt so sure that she was pregnant, the news to the contrary had felt like a sucker punch to the gut. Finally looking back at Amy's face, Ty confirmed what she had said, "You're really not pregnant?"

"No... I'm not."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Ty."

"Well, those tests aren't always accurate, so maybe you tested too early or it was defective, or-"

"Ty..."

"I'm just saying, it could be wrong, or maybe you read it wrong. Are you sure followed the directions, correctly? I've heard-"

"Ty, Stop!" Amy stood up and started walking toward the bathroom.

Ty stayed on the couch, wondering what he had said to upset his wife. Then, Amy returned with the test.

"Here," she said handing it to him, "look for yourself. I followed the directions exactly. It's negative. I'm not pregnant."

Ty took the test from his wife's shaking hand and looked, closely, at the small window. There should be two lines (forming a plus sign) for a positive test, but just one line (like a minus sign) for a negative test. As hard as he looked, adjusting the angle and lighting, there was clearly no second line. Amy was right, according to this test, she was not pregnant. Ty still wasn't ready to give up hope, though. "Okay...you're right, the test is negative. It could still be wrong, though-"

"Ty, please, don't do this."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't make this any harder than it already is," she said, sitting back down on the couch.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Ty took a hold of her hand and moved himself closer to her, "I know this must be as disappointing for you, as it is for me." With his free hand, he reached over to the coffee table and pulled a tissue from the box. Handing it to her, he added, "I didn't mean to make you feel worse."

"I know you didn't," she said, dabbing her eyes with the tissue.

Ty put his arm around his wife and kissed her cheek. "Just because you're not pregnant, right now, doesn't mean you never will be. We'll just have to keep trying."

"Ty," Amy looked at her husband, "There's something else I need to tell you."

Ty's body tensed; he didn't like the way his wife sounded, and he braced himself for more bad news. "Okay, what is it?" he asked.

"Um..." Amy struggled to find the right words, but there didn't seem to be any, "I don't..." She took a breath and tried again. "I don't think I want to get pregnant, anymore."


	3. Chapter 3

Ty couldn't believe what his wife was telling him. "Amy, we've talked about this, we agreed we were ready-"

"I know, I'm sorry." Amy stared at her hands, unable to look her husband in the eyes.

"What made you change your mind?"

"I don't know..."

"Well there has to be a reason, Amy. Just yesterday you couldn't wait to be pregnant and have a baby."

"I know."

Ty gently lifted her face, toward his, and, once again, assured her, "You can tell me anything, Amy."

Amy gave a weak nod, "I just don't want you to be mad."

Ty held her close and kissed her head, "Amy, I'm not mad. I'm just confused, I guess. I want to understand why you feel this way."

Amy thought back to that morning, when she was waiting for the results of the test. "I guess, I just don't feel ready anymore," she began to explain, "Before I took the test, I really thought that I was pregnant. So, while I waited for the results, I started to think of what it would actually be like to have a baby... and I started having all these doubts." Amy watched Ty's face, wondering if he understood what she was trying to say, "I just... I don't know how a baby would even fit into our lives. We're both always busy and we barely have enough time together, as it is; my job has a lot of risks; and even our loft is small and not exactly baby-proof."

"We can figure those things out, though. I can talk to Scott about my schedule and we have plenty of family to help, and yeah, you may have to be more careful when your pregnant, but it won't be forever. As far as the loft goes, it's nice, but it may be time to find ourselves a house."

"And what about transportation? You're truck isn't big enough or reliable enough, for a family."

"Then, we'll sell it and get a new one."

Amy stared at Ty, wondering how it was so easy for him to think of giving up his truck or their home.

"So we'll just cut back on work, and make less money, while needing to spend more money, just to make room for a baby? I'm sorry, Ty, but that doesn't make sense to me."

"Yeah, well, sometimes you have to make sacrifices when you have a baby."

"Well, I guess I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready for our whole life to change. I like things the way they are, with just you and me."

"Ok, but, I just don't get how you could have completely changed your mind, about this. When we first decided to try for a baby, and it didn't happen, you were as disappointed as I was."

Amy sat back, putting more space between her and Ty. "The truth is..."

Ty flinched, what did Amy mean 'the truth'? Had she been lying to him?

"I wasn't as disappointed, as it may have seemed."

"What are you saying, Amy?"

"I thought that I wanted kids... I thought I was supposed to want them. I mean, that's how it works, you get married and you have kids, right?And, you... you've been so eager to be a dad. I guess your excitement rubbed off on me, and having a baby just seemed like the right thing to do."

"So, you only wanted a baby, because I did?"

"I don't know, maybe... I mean, thought I wanted to have one, too, but after this morning... I realized, I don't. When, I saw that the test was negative, I felt relieved."

Ty sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what to say, then. I still want to have a baby with you, but you don't want that, so what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Amy said, her voice cracking.

"So, do you just not want a baby right now? Or are you saying you don't want kids at all?"

Amy looked at her hands again and played with her wedding rings.

"Amy?"

"I don't know, Ty," she said, still not looking up and the tears now streaming down her face, "I'm so sorry..."

Ty blinked back tears of his own. "It's okay," he told her, but only in an attempt to comfort her. Truthfully, Ty wasn't okay. He loved Amy, but he felt like she had taken something from him- the hope of being a father and having a family of his own.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Gift

Amy put Spartan back in his stall, after her trail ride. She had needed some fresh air and a chance to be alone with her thoughts. She was starting to feel better, but the sound of Ty's truck pulling up, put knots in her stomach. She stayed focused on Spartan, as she listened to Ty shut his truck door and walk into the barn.

"You're home early," she said, looking at Ty, over her shoulder.

"Slow day," he replied. Without another word, or even a glance toward Amy, he continued his way up to the loft.

Amy turned back to Spartan and leaned on his stall door.

"What am I gonna do? Huh?" She asked the black horse, as he nuzzled her. She smiled and stroked his neck, "At least, you don't hate me." Her smile disappeared, and the knots in her stomach tightened, as she turned and looked toward the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she decided to go up and try talking to her husband.

Ty was sitting on their bed, looking at something, and didn't seem to notice that Amy had come up.

"Ty?" she said, walking toward him.

He looked at her without saying anything, then looked away, again.

Amy sat down, next to him, on the bed. "You're still mad me, aren't you?" she asked.

"I'm not mad..." he answered, still not looking at her.

"Then, why have you been ignoring me since last night?"

Ty continued to fidget with a small box.

"Ty, please, just talk to me."

"What do you want me to say, Amy?" Ty asked, finally looking her in the eyes.

"I just want to know what you're thinking."

Ty looked away, for a moment, then back at his wife. "I don't know what to think. I'm still confused... and hurt, because you basically lied to me."

"I didn't lie-"

"You told me you wanted kids, that you were ready to have a baby, but none of it was true."

"I wasn't lying when I said those things, I believed them too."

Amy watched as Ty fumbled with the box, wondering what was in it. For a moment, neither said anything.

"I really wanted to be a dad," Ty spoke up.

Amy put her hand on his shoulder, "I know...I'm really sorry, Ty. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Well, you did."

Amy started to speak, but changed her mind. She didn't know what she could say, right now, to make her husband feel better.

Ty stared at the wall, then spoke again, "You know, between my dad and Wade, I never had a father that I could look up to. Until I came here, I could never even picture myself as a dad, or not a good one anyway. I had, basically, decided that having kids wasn't for me."

"So, what changed? Why do you want, so badly, to be a dad now?" Amy asked, wanting Ty to keep talking.

"I guess... I changed." Ty paused, figuring out how to explain his feelings, "I never thought I'd be the kind of guy to fall in love, get married, have kids, and live 'happily ever after'. It's not that I didn't want to, I just figured those kind of things never happened to guys like me. If they did happen... they usually didn't turn out well. I certainly didn't want to have kids, if I wasn't going to be any better, than my dad or Wade, at raising them." Ty turned himself, so he could face Amy, before continuing. "Coming to Heartland... I learned that I'm not like my dad, and I'm definitely not like Wade. I found purpose and meaning in life... and I found you." Ty set the box down and took hold of both of Amy's hands.

"I finally have the chance to be the man I've always wanted to be, but never thought I could be. I want to be a dad, because... because, I want the opportunity to raise my children to be loving and respectful and hard-working. I want to know, that when I'm gone, I'll have family to carry on the values that I've learned here."

Amy thought about Ty's words; she hadn't realized that he felt that strongly about having kids. Still, her own concerns continued to haunt her. "Doesn't the idea of having kids, ever scare you, though? Like, do you ever worry that you'll do something wrong and they won't turn out like you hoped?" Amy asked.

Ty thought about her questions and said, "Sometimes, but then I remember that I wouldn't be doing it alone. I'd have you, and we'd be a team. We've always worked so well together, and I figured we'd be awesome parents together, too." Ty smiled at the thought, but it didn't last.

"Ty-"

"You know what," Ty said, picking the box up again, "I bought this for you, shortly after we got married."

"What is it?" Amy asked, looking at the box, then back at Ty.

"It was supposed to be a gift for you. I've been holding onto it and waiting for you to tell me that you're pregnant, so I could give it to."

Amy was speechless as Ty handed her the box.

"I don't know what to do with it, anymore, since we apparently will never need it," he told her, standing up and walking out of the room.

Amy remained sitting, staring at the box. She didn't know if Ty expected her to open it, or not, but her curiosity got the best her. She removed the pink ribbon and began tearing the light, blue wrapping paper open. After the paper was off, she held a brown box. She looked over her shoulder, to see if Ty was there, but he wasn't. Carefully, she opened the box. Inside was a small book and another box. Amy took the book out, first. It was a small photo album, with pages that were just big enough to hold one photo each. On the front it said, "Our Growing Family". As Amy flipped through, she saw that each photo page was paired with a page where you could fill in blanks, such as how far along you were, how you felt, if you had any cravings, or for special moments, like feeling kicks for the first time.

Amy felt touched and nauseous, all at once. Ty really had been ready to have a baby and couldn't wait to make memories, surrounding the pregnancy. She set the book down, and picked up a blue, velvety box and opened it.

"Oh, wow," she whispered to herself. Inside was a beautiful necklace; it was silver and the charm was the outline of a heart, and inside the heart was a small heart shaped diamond and the word, "mom".

Amy outlined the heart with her finger; she smiled at the thought of Ty picking it out for her and waiting, probably impatiently, to give it to her. Now he had, but not for the reason he had meant to.

Amy closed her eyes, but couldn't stop the tears from coming. Her heart ached, as she thought of how disappointed Ty was, and how much she had let him down.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ty sat at his desk, in the barn office, and reviewed the results of some lab tests. He tried focusing on what he was reading, but his mind kept drifting back to Amy and everything they'd been talking about. He set his papers down, and massaged his temples.

The golden name plate on his desk, caught his eye. "Dr. Tyler Borden, D.V.M", it read. Amy had given it to him, along with his desk, as a gift for graduating vet school. He picked up the name plate and and ran his fingers over the words.

He smiled as he remembered Amy making him cover his eyes, with his graduation cap, and walking him into the office. He'd had no idea what to expect and when she pulled the cap away, to reveal the desk, he had been completely lost for words. It was such an amazing and thoughtful gift; he had felt so loved in that moment. Amy surprising him with the desk was one of his favorite memories of the two of them. She had always been his biggest supporter and source of encouragement, when it came to following his dreams and being the man she had always known he could be.

"You know, this is more than just a desk, this is a new beginning for us. We always talked about working together, do you remember?" Amy's words replayed in Ty's mind and tears stung in his eyes. They had often dreamed about their life together; getting married, working together, and having children.

Another memory came to mind, the one of him and Amy exploring a ranch that they had hoped to buy. As they walked around the property, they talked about their future and it had been Amy who had asked if he wanted kids. He had said yes and returned the question. Without hesitation Amy also said yes, she'd even said she wanted, "two, at least."

Ty looked at a picture of Amy, that he kept on his desk, and thinking out loud, he said, "I still don't understand what changed. I really thought we wanted the same things in life."

"Maybe I don't know what I want, anymore."

Ty jumped, not having expected a response. He turned around and relaxed when he saw his wife, standing in the doorway.

"Amy, you... surprised me."

"Sorry," she said, walking toward him, "I didn't mean to."

"How long were you standing there?"

"I just got here, in time to see you talking to my picture," she said nodding toward the photo.

"I was just thinking, out loud," Ty explained.

Amy offered a half-smile, then said, "I um... I opened the gift..."

"I figured you would."

"It's amazing, the necklace is beautiful."

"Well, I'm glad you like it. Of course, I'm pretty sure it's too late to return any of it. But, hey, maybe you can sell them on eBay, or something, and get some of my money back. At least then it wouldn't have been a complete waste."

Amy winced at the comment.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, I deserve it," she said, looking at the floor. After taking a moment to get control of her feelings, she looked up at Ty and said, "I don't know what to do. I feel like we're always so busy and having a baby would only make it worse. Remember Merlin? We were always so tired, we didn't have time for anything or anyone else, and we kept arguing. A baby will take more of our time and energy than Merlin ever did."

"So, you're worried that a baby would come between us?" Ty asked, wanting to understand where Amy was coming from.

Amy nodded, and began to cry again. Through the tears, she managed to add, "But, now... my not wanting a baby is tearing us apart anyway."

Ty stood up and went to his wife. Not knowing what to say, he just held her close and let her cry.

Amy held on tightly, to her husband, and buried her face in his shoulder. She knew he was still upset, so the fact that he was willing to comfort her meant a lot; his love for her was stronger than any other emotions he was feeling. This comforted her, but also made her feel worse. She was thankful that he still cared, but she felt even more guilty that she was causing him so much heartache. "I am so sorry," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, too... I think we need to take a break, Amy."

Amy immediately pulled back from Ty, to see his face. Was he serious?

"We can't keep doing this to each other..."

Amy's heart began to race, this couldn't be happening. "Ty, no..." she said as fresh tears filled her eyes.

Ty looked at his wife, her face was pale and she was shaking; he suddenly realized that she had misunderstood him. "Oh, Amy, no! Not that kind of a break!" Ty pulled her back to him and hugged her, tightly.

Amy let out a deep breath, "What are you talking about, then?" She was still trying to catch her breath from the scare.

"I didn't mean a break from each other," he assured her, "I just meant we need to relax and clear our minds. We're both too emotional right now, and we aren't getting anywhere."

Amy laughed, a little, in relief. "Well, that kind of break sounds like a good idea."

"I'm so sorry for scaring you."

"Ty, I could never forgive myself if I ever did anything to lose you."

"Well, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Ty promised, sealing it with a kiss on her head. "So, what do you say we go for a drive?"

Amy stepped back, to look at Ty again, and asked,"Where to?"

"It's a surprise."

Amy stared at him, unsure if she wanted to be surprised or not.

As if reading her thoughts, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll like it, I promise."

Amy relaxed and smiled, "Okay, I trust you."

"Good, I'll pack us some food and then we'll get going."

"Just, one thing..."

"What's that?"

"We are going to talk more, right? We can't just ignore this." Amy didn't want to just let the issue go, unresolved.

"I agree, we need to figure this out, and we will."

"Okay, good," Amy said, hugging him again.

Ty smiled; his heart was still hurting, but he knew that none of their dreams mattered, if he didn't have Amy by his side.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Ty parked his truck and smiled, as he looked over at his wife. He took her hand and lightly squeezed it.

"Amy, we're here, wake up."

Amy opened her eyes, but too much light flooded in, so she closed them again. "Where is here?" she asked, sitting up, still trying to adjust to the natural light, "And how long was I asleep for?"

Ty laughed and said, "You were completely out by the time we reached the main road."

"Really? I'm sorry, Ty," Amy said, looking around, "I guess we didn't get to talk."

"No, but it gave me more time to think."

"The fishing cabin," she said, finally realizing where they were.

"Is this okay?"

Amy looked at her husband, smiling despite the tears in her eyes, and said, "It's perfect."

They climbed out of the truck and and took their food inside. As they unpacked their cooler, Ty looked around the small cabin. It was exactly as he remembered it, but that wasn't a surprise. After all, the cabin belonged to Amy's grandpa and, just like Amy, Jack has never liked change. Ty looked at his wife as she began to prepare dinner. Having a baby would a big change, for both of them, and it probably shouldn't have surprised him that Amy would have second thoughts.

"Everything okay?" Amy asked, when she noticed that Ty was watching her.

"Uh, yeah," he said, realizing he had been staring, "I was just thinking."

Amy wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was thinking, so she just nodded and went back to mixing the salad.

"I get that a baby would be a big change and that change can be scary."

Amy paused and said, "I thought we were taking a break from that conversation."

"We are-"

"Then why are you bringing it up?"

"I was just saying-"

"Well, don't."

"You said you wanted to talk about this and figure it out."

"I do... just not right now."

"I'm sorry, Amy."

"Yeah, me too," she said, wiping her hands on a towel, "I need some air."

Ty watched as she walked out of the cabin, debating wether or not he should follow her. Deciding to give her space, he went ahead a finished getting dinner ready.

After he finished and the table was set, he went outside to get Amy. He found her sitting by the river and sat down next to her.

"Dinner's ready," he said.

Amy nodded and said, "Sorry, for walking out like that."

"It's okay," he told her, putting his arm around her, "I'm sorry, too. You're right, we came to here for a break from discussing 'you know what', so let's just relax and enjoy being together."

"I can do that," she said, smiling and laying her head on his shoulder.

Ty kissed her head and the two of them sat quietly, enjoying the view.

"It's beautiful out here, and the weather is perfect," he commented.

Amy laughed, "Yeah, it sure beats that snowstorm we had the first time we came up here."

"Definitely," Ty agreed, laughing with her, "we certainly won't have to worry about that this time."

"Hopefully, you won't get sick this time, either," she added, lightly jabbing Ty in his side.

"Well, if I do get sick, I know I'm in good hands," he said, hugging his wife, "You did a pretty amazing job taking care of me."

"I was so scared," she admitted.

"Well, you wouldn't have known it." he told her, "You've always been good at taking care of others. Sure, it's usually horses, but you've helped your share of people too."

Amy looked at Ty, then back toward the river, and asked, "Why do I get the feeling you're about to tell me what a great mom I would be?"

"You would be a great mom, Amy."

"Ty..."

"I know, I'm sorry, we won't talk about it."

Amy watched the river and didn't say anything. How could she explain her feelings, so that Ty would understand? What if he didn't understand? What if they couldn't reach an agreement? What if this was a deal breaker for him? What if... Amy looked at her wedding ring and watched it sparkle in the sunlight. She remembered her and Ty's wedding and the moment he placed her ring on her finger.

"Amy, I give you this ring as a daily reminder of my love for you."

All of the 'what ifs', from a moment before, faded away. Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ty loved her and she loved him. She knew they couldn't ignore the subject, any longer. They needed to talk, even if it was hard.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Ty wondered what his wife was thinking about. She was playing with her wedding ring and he had noticed she would do that whenever she was nervous or upset. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her it would be okay, but he was afraid he would only make it worse. He looked toward the cabin and remembered that their dinner was waiting for them.

"Ty..."

He looked back at his wife, who looked like she was about to cry.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I can do it."

"Do what?" Ty asked, not wanting to assume he knew.

"Be a mom."

Ty wiped a tear from her cheek. He wanted to tell her she'd be a great mom, but he had a feeling she had more to say, so he simply asked, "Why not?"

Amy spun her ring around on her finger, a couple of times, and then answered, "It's just... raising a child is a huge responsibility."

Ty nodded, but let Amy continue.

"I guess, I never thought of myself as one of those women, who would rather focus on my career, instead of having kids," she said, watching for Ty's reaction, "But, maybe I am. I love being able to focus on the horses that I'm helping, and I hate being interrupted from that. Remember Hotshot?"

Ty thought back, the name was familiar, "Hotshot... yeah, he was... um... the barrel racing horse, right? The one Caleb bought?"

"Right, that one," she confirmed, "I was supposed to be babysitting Katie, but all I really wanted to do, was work with him."

"Yeah, so I basically babysat Katie for you."

"And even you questioned if that's how it would always be, if we had our own kids," she reminded him.

"And you said it wouldn't be like that."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want believe it would be."

"So, just so I'm clear, you don't want to have a baby, because we're both too busy, already; our loft is too small; my truck is too small; a baby would cut into our alone time; and you would rather focus on working with horses, instead of being a mom?"

"Yeah, all of that, and..." Amy took a breath, then said, "I just don't think I'd be a good mom."

"What? Okay, I can kind of understand the other stuff, but why don't you think you'd be a good mom?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know. It's not like I have a whole lot of experience taking care of babies or children, I was the youngest and I was never the babysitting type."

"Well, I don't have a lot of experience, either, so do you think I'd be a bad dad?"

"No, of course not-"

"So why would that make you a bad

mom?"

"I guess I just can't see myself being a mom, okay?" she snapped.

"Amy, relax, I'm just trying to understand how you're feeling." Ty said, taking her hand.

Amy tried to relax, but instead she felt herself tensing up and her eyes filled with tears. "Losing sleep, because the baby cries all night; changing diapers; being spit up on; never being able to just go out, without getting a babysitter first... I just don't want to deal with any of that."

"Okay, but what about baby cuddles, first words, first steps, hearing your child say "I love you", hearing them laugh, teaching them everything you know about horses or anything else, and just watching them grow..."

Amy wiped the tears off her face and stared at the ground.

"I just think," Ty said, "that some part you did, and still does, want children. All of the reasons, you've given for not having kids, are things we can figure out and make work. And I'm sorry, but I don't really believe that you would ever care more about horses, than your own child."

Amy thought about what Ty said. "What if I'm not any good at being a mom?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the ground.

"I told you, you'd be a great mom."

"You don't know that," she said, looking him in the eyes, "so, what if you're wrong and I'm not?"

"I seriously don't think it's possible for you to be a bad mom-"

"Ty-"

"But if you are, then, you'll learn," Ty said, wrapping his arms around her, "Remember, you won't be doing this alone, there's two of us. We'll figure it all out together and our family and friends will help. I'm sure we'll both make our share of mistakes, because nobody is perfect, but we'll learn from those mistakes."

For a moment, Amy just stared at Ty, thinking about what he said. "You really believe we can do this?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, I'm still not sure," Amy said, as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Ty kissed her head and held her tighter. He gazed at his wife, while she watched the river continue to flow past. He wondered what she was thinking and if maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to come around.

"I love you, Ty," Amy spoke up, after a few minutes.

Ty smiled and whispered back, "I love you too."

Amy relaxed against Ty and closed her eyes. "I'm tired. Can we just eat dinner and get some sleep?" she asked, "We can talk more tomorrow."

"Yeah," Ty said, brushing her hair with his fingers, "that sounds good to me."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

"Are you feeling okay? You've hardly touched your dinner."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy said, forcing a smile, "I'm just not very hungry."

"Is the food okay?"

"Yes, I said it's fine," Amy snapped.

"Okay, sorry."

Amy wondered how Ty could eat, with no problem; this whole disagreement about kids was taking it's toll on her. Her stomach was always in knots, and she was always on the verge of tears. Even now, she was doing her best to keep her emotions in check and not, suddenly, lose it at the dinner table. She looked around for a distraction, a happy thought to think about.

Ty could see that Amy was upset, so he reached across the the table to hold her her hand, and said, "I love you."

Amy looked at Ty and squeezed his hand. "I love you too," she said, not sure if his touch made her feel better or worse.

Ty looked around the cabin, thinking of their first time there, then he looked back at Amy. "You know, when we came here, that first time, I had just got my diploma and I was trying to figure out what my future looked like."

"Yeah, as Mallory put it, you were at a crossroads," Amy said, smiling at the memory.

Ty laughed and continued, "She was right, though, I was. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life, or if..." Ty became serious, "or if you were going to be a part of it."

Once again, Amy felt her eyes begin to water. Trying to hold it together, she asked, "You're not telling me that you regret having me in your life, are you?"

Ty was taken aback by her question. "No, of course not," he assured her, "that's not what I'm saying, at all."

"Are you sure? I know, you're upset that I don't want kids and that being a dad is important to you..."

Ty let go of Amy's hand and stood up. "Come with me," he told her.

"Why?" she asked, slowly standing up from the table.

"Just come on," he said, walking out the front door.

Amy stepped off of the porch and walked over to where Ty was standing. All the while, she was wondering what he was doing and why they had to be outside.

"Okay, what do you want?" she asked, standing next to her husband.

Ty put his hands on her shoulders and said, "We were standing right here, in this spot, when you first said that you loved me and I said I loved you, too. You remember that?"

"Yes, of course, I do..."

"Good, because that was one of the best moments in my entire life, and I'll never forget it. I love you, Amy. I always have and I always will, so don't you ever doubt that, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Now, I'm not going to deny that I want kids, we both know I do."

Amy looked down and waited for him to tell her why she wrong and why they should have children.

Ty took a step closer, and said, "but, I didn't marry you so we could have kids. I married you, because I love you, regardless of whether or not we have children."

Ty lifted Amy's face toward his. Yes, he wanted to be a dad, but first he was a husband and he wanted his wife to know how much he cared about her. He remembered back to the day, when they had stood there, together, and confessed their love for each other. He remembered how his heart had been pounding and how he had felt nervous and excited, all at once. Right now, it wasn't much different. He knew they still had a long way to go, but in this moment, all he could think about was how much he loved his wife and his desire to be close to her.

Amy was still trying to wrap her mind around what Ty had just told her. Was he really willing to give up being a dad, for her? If he did, how could she live with herself for doing that to him? On the other hand, it wasn't a good idea to have kids, just to make him happy, was it? Was there any good solution to this problem?

The questions kept coming, until she felt Ty's warm lips, press against hers. Suddenly, she couldn't think about anything else. They hadn't kissed since the night before she took the pregnancy test. Now that it was happening, she realized just how much she had missed being this close with her husband. She put her arms around him and pulled him closer. For the first time, in two days, she felt completely relaxed. Everything about the moment was perfect. As the kiss continued her heart started beating faster and she began to feel out of breath. Then, suddenly, she felt so light-headed, that she thought she might faint.

"Ty... stop," she said, trying to catch her breath. She grabbed onto his shirt and leaned into him, trying not fall over.

"Are you okay?" Ty asked, holding onto her.

"I think so...I just got a little dizzy" she said, as her breathing returned to normal and she felt her sense of balance return. "I'm already feeling better," she added with a smile.

"Maybe you should lie down, anyway, you still look a little pale."

Amy didn't argue and Ty helped her to the cabin, then to the bed, and made sure she was comfortable. He felt her forehead, but she was cool to the touch.

"I'm not sick, Ty."

"I'm just checking," he said, "I'm going to get you a drink, okay?"

"Okay, thanks."

Ty brought her a glass of water and some cookies they had brought for dessert. "Here, these should help," he said, "you probably just have low blood sugar. You didn't eat your dinner, so..."

"Thank you, Dr. Borden," Amy teased, taking a bite of a cookie.

After Amy finished the cookies and the color had returned to her face, Ty relaxed and got himself ready for bed. He crawled in, next to his wife, and held her close. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too," she said, adjusting herself so she could see his face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"When you said that you would love me wether or not we had kids, did you mean it?"

"Yeah, of course I meant it."

"So, are you saying that we don't have to have kids?"

Ty thought carefully, then said, "If you really don't want kids, then... yeah, I guess I'm saying we don't have to have any."

"Are you sure?"

Ty sat up a little more, and said, "Here's the thing, I really want kids, but only if they're going to be wanted and loved by both of us. If that's not going to be the case, then we shouldn't have any. I'm certainly not going make you have kids. So, if this is how you really feel, then I'm going to have to be okay with it."

"I just don't want you to resent me, later on," Amy admitted, "I want you to be happy, too, but I can't just want kids, because you want me to."

"I know," Ty said, "I don't expect you to." He leaned in and gave her a goodnight kiss, then turned over; he didn't want her to see him cry. He loved her, but he wasn't happy about his decision. Honestly, he was afraid, too, that he might begin to resent her. There was no easy solution, no win-win. For now, though, he just wanted to focus on his love for Amy and try not to think about how much he was hurting.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

When Ty woke up, Amy already had breakfast on the table and most of their things packed up.

"Good morning," she said, seeing Ty sitting up in bed.

"When did you get up?" he asked.

"Um, I don't know, a couple of hours ago?" she guessed, continuing to pack, "I didn't sleep well, so I figured I should at least be productive."

"So, how are you feeling? Any more dizziness?"

"Nope, I feel fine. Like you said, it was probably just because I hadn't eaten, mixed with the stress of the past couple of days."

Ty smiled and hoped that was the case, but he also couldn't ignore the feeling that there was more to it than that.

"You better eat, before your food gets cold," Amy told him, "and we need to get back home. I have a client coming, later today, to drop off their horse."

"Where's your breakfast?" Ty asked, sitting at the table.

"I already ate," she said, still busy getting ready to go.

"Well, would you at least like to sit down?" he asked, "I want to talk some more."

"We can talk in the truck, Ty, we need to get going."

"We have time, Amy. Please, sit down."

Amy sat down next to her husband, and asked, "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

Ty sighed and decided not to beat around the bush, "I still think you would be an amazing mom."

"Ty, we've been over this, and you said we don't have to have kids. You're not changing your mind already, are you?"

"No, I'm just... hoping you'll change your mind."

"Well, I'm not," she said, starting to get up.

"Hold on," Ty said, taking her hand and gently pulling her back down, "I know your scared and worried that you won't know what to do, or that we'll regret it, but you can't let those feelings control you."

"I'm not..."

"No? Have you even tried considering all of the good that would come from having a baby? Or, have you been too focused on what could go wrong?"

Amy didn't want to answer Ty's questions. Deep down, she knew he was probably right, but she still couldn't stop the fears and worries from overwhelming her. It was easier to just give in to them, than try to fight them. She couldn't explain it, but in the past few days, her emotions had seemed to have more control over her, than she did over them. Everything felt like a bigger deal, than normal, and Amy wondered if, maybe, there was something wrong with her. Of course, if there was something wrong, that was even more reason not bring a baby into the picture, she reasoned. What could be wrong, though? Why didn't she feel like herself? She took in a deep breath and tried to convince herself that she was fine, just a little stressed, and there was nothing to worry about.

"Are you okay?" Ty asked, "you're starting to look pale, again."

Amy looked at Ty, she knew he said something, but she had been too lost in thought to hear him. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"I asked if you're okay..." Ty said, growing more concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just... I don't want to talk about this, right now," Amy said, standing up. She walked over to the bed and started to make it.

Ty came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you remember when I wanted to get married, but you wanted to wait?" he asked.

"This isn't the same-"

"Why not? You needed time then and, I think, you just need time now."

Amy turned around in his arms; looking him in the eyes, she said, "You said, if I really didn't want kids, you would be okay with it."

"Yeah..."

"Well, I don't feel like this is you being okay with it. I feel like this is you pressuring me to see it your way and do what you want."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I guess I don't know how to be okay with this," Ty said, "I don't know what the right thing to do is, because either way, one of us is going have to give in. There is no compromise here."

"I know," Amy whispered.

"So much for taking a break from the issue," Ty said, letting go of Amy, "I hoped by coming here, we could get some perspective, remember how much we love each other, and then maybe this whole thing would work itself out. But, I see now that it's not going to work that way. If neither of us can change our mind, then this is always going to stay between us."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying..." Ty shook his head, "I don't know. I love you, I know that, but..." Ty stared at the ground and tried to gather his thoughts. What was he supposed to say? What were they supposed to do?

"But, what?" Amy asked, even though she wasn't sure she wanted him to finish his thought.

"I just need to think," he told her, then he picked up a bag, that was near the bed, and took it to the truck.

Amy grabbed another bag, and followed him outside. "Maybe we can compromise," she suggested, handing him the other bag.

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Well, I just mean that, maybe we don't have to decide one way or the other, yet."

"So, there's a chance you'll change your mind?" Ty asked, not wanting to be too hopeful.

"I don't know, maybe?"

"Amy, if you just want to wait to have kids, until a better time, then that's great. But, I get the feeling that all you're really trying to do, is postpone this argument till another day."

"So? Is that such a bad idea, to give us both a chance to think about it and figure out what's really best?"

Ty thought about it for a moment. He did still think that, with time, Amy might change her mind. He could use the time to think, too. He was afraid to admit it, but Amy had made some good points. A child would need a lot of time and attention and they were busy people, as it is. Did he really want to have to a child, if he wasn't going to have time to be a dad?

"No, you're right, it's not a bad idea," he conceded.

Amy sighed in relief; finally, they agreed on something. "We can figure this out," she said, hugging Ty, "I love you."

Ty hugged her back. "I love you, too," he said, kissing her head, "But, we are going to have to talk about this, again."

"I know, we will."

"Well, we should get going, you have that client coming."

The two of them finished loading the truck and headed home. The ride was quiet, as they both took the time to think about everything they had discussed and what their future would hold. They'd had plenty of ups and downs and had always come through the worst, together. Why should this time be any different?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Ty smiled as he parked his truck and unbuckled. It had been an emotional few days, but he felt like he and Amy were in a good place now. They had agreed to put the discussion of children on hold and focus on their marriage. He picked up the bouquet of flowers, that were next to him, and climbed out of the truck. He didn't see Amy outside, working with any horses, so he figured she must be in the barn.

"Amy?" he called, peaking into the barn office. She wasn't there, so he decided to check the loft.

"Amy, are you up here?" Ty asked. No answer came, but he heard a quiet sniffling, then saw his wife lying on their bed.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, entering the room. He sat the bouquet on the nightstand and cleaned some crumpled tissues off the bed, so he could sit with his wife. "Are you feeling okay?"

Amy looked at Ty, who noticed her eyes were puffy and red, and she shook her head.

"What's wrong?" he asked, helping her to sit up next to him and putting his arm around her.

Amy blinked back more tears and played with her wedding ring. "I, um..." she started to say, wiping her face, "I was working with a horse, this morning...just running him around in the round pen, like usual..." Amy grabbed a fresh tissue and dabbed her eyes.

Ty gave her a gentle squeeze, "It's okay," he assured her.

"And... I passed out," she said.

"What?" Ty asked, imagining the worst. Maybe Amy really was sick, what else could be going on? Ty tried to focus, as Amy continued explaining what happened.

"I got dizzy and the next thing I knew, I was lying outside of the round pen and Grandpa was leaning over me, saying my name."

"When did this happen? Why didn't you or Jack call me?"

"It was this morning and I made Grandpa promise that he'd let me tell you."

"Well, you didn't have to wait until I got home, you should've called me at work. You need to see a doctor, Amy."

"I did. Grandpa took me to see Dr. Virani."

"Oh, okay...well, good. So, what did she say?"

Amy returned her focus to her wedding ring and didn't answer.

"Amy," Ty said, taking her hand, "what's going on? What did Dr. Virani say?"

"She said that..." Amy's voice caught in her throat, and it was as if her body was physically trying to stop her, from saying it out loud.

"It's okay, Amy. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I need to know."

Amy took a deep breath, and told him, "I'm...pregnant."

Ty stared at his wife, as it took a moment for her words to sink in. She's not sick. She's pregnant. A smile crept over Ty's face and his whole body relaxed.

"Wait," he said, as he remembered the negative result of the pregnancy test, "So, the first test was wrong?"

"Apparently," she answered, "I guess you were right all along."

Ty felt relief and excitement, as he realized he was going to be a dad, but the look on Amy's face brought him back to reality.

"You're not happy about this, are you?" he asked, his excitement fading.

Amy shook her head, and told him, "My feelings haven't changed."

Ty hugged her and, wanting to be optimistic, he said, "Just give it time. I have a feeling you'll change your mind."

"And if I don't?"

Ty didn't even want to think about that. He knew Amy, and once the baby became more real to her and she started seeing herself as a mom, she would definitely change her mind. "You will" he said, hoping to convince her and himself.

"I don't know," she said, "I really don't think I can do this."

"Yes, you can, Amy. Remember, you're not doing this alone, we're in this together."

Amy nodded.

"Here," Ty said, reaching over to the nightstand, "these are for you."

"What, why?" Amy asked, taking the bouquet of flowers.

"Because, I love you."

Amy smiled, tears still running down her cheeks, and said, "They're beautiful, thank you."

"You're welcome," Ty said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Amy admired the flowers, then said, "I don't want anyone to know yet, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Because... they'll be excited about it and I don't want to have to tell them that I'm not excited. I don't want to fake it, either."

"Okay," Ty said, "but what about Jack? Doesn't he know?"

"No," she said, "Dr. Virani agreed not tell him, so she just assured him that I was fine, but needed rest, which is true."

Ty nodded, thinking of another question, "Did Dr. Virani say if we should be concerned, about you passing out?"

"She really did say that I'm fine and I just need to be careful. No more skipping breakfast, then running around in the hot sun."

"You skipped breakfast?"

"I was feeling a little nauseous, which I figured was stress."

"Okay, well you need make sure you're eating and taking care of yourself. You're pregnant, so you need to think about the baby now, too."

A wave of nausea hit Amy, when she heard Ty's words. She was pregnant. She had a baby to think about. Everything was going to change, wether she liked or not, and that terrified her. Life had taken this sudden turn, and she felt trapped going down the very path she had wanted to avoid.

Ty could see the fear in Amy's eyes, so he held her close and told her, "It's okay, I'm here. We're going to get through this, together."

Amy laid her head on Ty's shoulder and let herself cry. She had been afraid that her feelings would create distance between her and Ty, that he wouldn't understand and wouldn't try to. Yet, here he was, comforting her and assuring her that he wasn't going anywhere. The whole idea of being pregnant and having a baby, still scared her, but she did feel better knowing that Ty would be by her side through all of it.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Amy sat on the bathroom floor, next to the toilet, hoping she was done. She was now seven weeks pregnant and morning sickness had kicked in, full force, a week ago.

"Are you okay in there?" Ty asked, gently knocking on the door.

"Yeah, I think so... I'll be out in a minute," she said. Her stomach felt fine, for the moment, so she went to the sink to clean up and brush her teeth.

When she came out of the bathroom, Ty greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Ugh, don't kiss me, I'm disgusting," she said, pushing him away.

"You're not disgusting, you're-"

"Don't even say it..."

"-beautiful."

Amy glared at her husband, as he took her hand and pulled her toward him, smiling the whole time. "I love you," he said.

Ty's smile was contagious and Amy was too tired to fight it, so she began to smile, too. "I love you too," she admitted. This time, when he kissed her, on the lips, she surrendered and let herself enjoy it.

"Now, was that so bad?" he asked.

"I guess not," Amy teased.

Ty shook his head and laughed. "Alright, well dinner is ready, and I'm starving," he told her.

They sat down and Ty began eating, but Amy just pushed her food around on her plate.

"You know, 'morning sickness' is a deceptive term," she said, "since it can obviously happen at any time."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Ty agreed. "You've had a pretty rough week, haven't you?"

Amy nodded and finally dared to take a bite of mashed potatoes.

"I think we need to tell your family," Ty said.

"Not yet."

"Amy, they're all noticing that something is going on and your not yourself. Jack has been worried about you, ever since you passed out, and it's getting harder to convince him that nothing is wrong. Lou is getting suspicious, too. This morning, I told her you had the flu, and she nodded and gave me that look that says she knows what I really mean."

"We'll tell them after my first check up, ok?"

"That's not for another week, Amy. I can't keep lying to your family," he told her. "Besides, it might be good for you to be able to talk to them about how you're feeling."

"In other words, your hoping they can convince me to be happy about this whole thing."

"That's not what I said, but maybe they could-"

"You know what, I'm not hungry," she said, getting up from the table, "I'm going to check on the horses."

Ty said something, probably asking her to stay and talk, but Amy ignored him and went downstairs. When she reach the last step, she suddenly stopped and covered her mouth. "Oh no," she groaned, turning around and going back upstairs. She ran across loft, and made it into the bathroom, just in time.

When she came out, a few minutes later, she told Ty, "I guess we can add 'the smell of horses' to the list of things that make me sick."

Ty came over and hugged her, and said, "Why don't you go lay down? I can do night check, for you."

"Thanks," she said, then with an ironic laugh, she added, "only seven weeks along and I already can't go near the horses. What's the rest of this pregnancy going to be like?"

"It's only temporary, Amy, the morning sickness will go away."

"Yeah, but I'll still be pregnant. I'm still having... a baby," she said, still struggling accept the reality of what was happening.

"That's a good thing, Amy! Having a baby is a good thing!" Ty still wondered how she couldn't see it that that way.

"To you, maybe, but I don't feel that way. I know you hoped I would have changed my mind by now, but I haven't. I still don't want this-"

"This? You mean this baby? Our baby. You don't want our baby?"

"Ty, that's not-"

"You know what? I have been trying to be patient and understanding about this, but that is my son or daughter that you're carrying and I don't want them to grow up, feeling unloved or unwanted. You're his or her mother, Amy, and you need to start acting like it. This isn't about you anymore, and it isn't about me, either. It's about our child."

"I don't want to talk about this right now," she said, going into their bedroom.

"No, you never want to talk about anything, do you?" Ty asked, following her, "You just avoid your problems and hope they go away. Well, that's not going to work this time."

Amy did her best to ignore Ty, as she got ready for bed.

"What are you going to do when the baby is born?"

"Shouldn't you be checking on the horses?" she asked.

"Amy-"

"I told you, I'm not talking about this right now."

Ty opened his mouth to speak, but then changed his mind. He knew this argument would only get worse, at this point, not better. So, without another word, Ty left the room.

This was supposed to be a happy time, when they would prepare for their baby and dream about what their baby would look like or what personality it would have. Ty never imagined that he'd have to convince Amy to actually want their child. He thought back to his own childhood and how his dad had abandoned them, and then his mom married a man who abused them. When his mom started drinking, he had felt like she had abandoned him too. Alcohol was her own escape from their problems. While she escaped, through bottle after bottle, Ty was left behind to face the reality of their situation. He had to protect his mother, because she wasn't able to protect her own son. The physical pain, from the beatings, was only temporary and, over time, the cuts and bruises would heal. The emotional pain, that came from being rejected by his own parents, though... that stayed with him all these years and still hadn't fully healed. It was because of his childhood, that he swore his own children would feel nothing but love and acceptance from him.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, the weight of his childhood memories had become too much and he had to sit down. The thought that his own child may feel unwanted or unloved, by even one parent, broke him. He had always trusted that Amy would be a good and loving mother. Now, seeing how much she didn't want to be a mom, his trust had been broken. How could she not want their child? What was he supposed to do now? He didn't have any answers, so he just sat there and wept, unable to do or think about anything else.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Amy poured herself a cup of tea and went to sit down on the couch. She and Ty had barely spoken, since last night. She was still awake when he had finally returned from checking on the horses, but other than mumbling 'goodnight', he didn't talk to her and wouldn't look at her. Of course, she didn't really feel like talking to him either, since it seemed like she always made things worse.

The rest of the night, she had tossed and turned, unable to get any decent sleep. In the quiet of the night, all of her fears and concerns, about being a mother, echoed louder in her head.

When morning arrived, she was almost relieved to be able to get up and distract herself with the day's responsibilities. Unfortunately, Ty's words (from the night before) began to play in her mind, like a broken record.

"You're his or her mother, Amy, and you need to start acting like it."

Amy stared at her tea, not sure if she wanted to drink it or put it down. "You're his or her mother," Ty's voice repeated in her head, "This isn't about you anymore...it's about our child." The tea began to ripple and Amy realized her hand was shaking. She thought about setting the cup down, before she spilled it, but the signal never reached her arm. She remained there holding the cup and just staring at it.

"Amy?" a voice called up from the barn, startling her and causing her to drop her tea.

"Ow!" she yelled, as the mug hit her foot and hot tea splashed on her legs.

"Are you okay up there?" the voice asked.

"Uh, yeah," she answered, then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Everything's fine," she added, "I don't need help-"

"What happened?" Jack asked, coming into the loft.

"I just... I spilled some tea, but it's fine, you don't-"

"Just stay right there, I'll get some towels," he said, going to the kitchen.

"Here," he handed her the towels, "you can start mopping up the tea, I'll get something to put the broken mug in."

After the mess was cleaned up, Jack poured a fresh cup of tea for Amy. "Now you be careful this time," he said handing it to her.

"I will," she said, but her hands were still shaking and Jack changed his mind.

"On second thought," he said, carefully taking the cup back and setting it down, "are you sure you're okay?"

He joined her on the couch and Amy knew that he wasn't going to leave until they had talked. "I'm fine grandpa," she lied, "I'm just tired."

"Just tired, huh?"

"Yeah, that's all."

"Amy, you have never been good at lying. A few weeks ago, you passed out and could've been trampled by a horse, if I hadn't seen you and gotten to you in time. Then, you started keeping to yourself more and more and Ty tried telling us you just had the flu. Well, he's not very good at lying either, I'll have you know. Now, you're sitting up her, shaking like leaf, spilling your tea, and trying to convince me that everything is fine? That you're just tired?"

"It's complicated," she told him, still hoping he wouldn't press the issue.

"Complicated, huh? Well, I have some time, so how about if you just be honest, and tell me what's actually been going on with you?"

"Grandpa," Amy said, giving in as a mix of words and tears escaped her, "I don't know what to do. Everything is a such a mess. Ty's mad at me, and I just keep making it worse. I don't know what's wrong with me or why I can't just be happy. It was never supposed to be this way -"

"Woah, slow down," Jack said, putting his hand on her shaking shoulder. "just calm down, it's okay."

After Amy took a couple breaths, Jack asked, "Now, what's going on? Why is Ty mad at you?"

"Because," she wiped her eyes and took another breath, "I'm pregnant."

Jack wasn't sure what to say, he wanted to congratulate her, but it sounded like this wasn't a happy occasion. "So, Ty's mad at you for being pregnant?" Jacked asked, trying to make sense of what his granddaughter was telling him. "That doesn't sound like Ty."

"No," Amy shook her head and clarified, "Ty's thrilled, he can't wait to be a dad."

"Okay," Jack said, still trying to follow along, "so why is he mad at you?"

Amy stared at her cup, which was still sitting on the coffee table; this was the part that she had been dreading talking about. If Ty couldn't understand how she felt, how would her grandpa? She didn't want him to think of her the way that Ty, apparently, did.

"I can't read your mind, Amy, you're going to have to talk to me."

Without taking her eyes off of the cup, she answered, "I don't want to be pregnant. I don't... I don't want to be a mom."

Jack had, honestly, not expected to hear that from his granddaughter and he wasn't sure how to respond. The two of them just sat there, not saying anything, for a moment. Amy was wondering what her grandpa was thinking, and Jack was wondering what he should say to his granddaughter. Finally, Jack asked the obvious question, on his mind, "Why don't you want to be a mom?"

Amy shrugged, not because she didn't know the answer, but because she didn't know how to explain it.

"Are you scared?" Jack suggested.

Amy nodded, "But, it's more than that," she said. "I don't want anything to change, and I want to be able to focus on my work with horses, and I don't want to have even less time to spend with Ty..."

"I see," Jack said, "I can understand feeling that way."

"You can?" she asked, finally looking at him.

"Sure. You know, I was expecting a baby once," Jack said, smiling, "and I remember feeling a lot like you do now. I was on the road all the time and we didn't have much money, so I couldn't figure out we were going to make it work with another mouth to feed. And I, like you, didn't want everything to change."

"What about Grandma? Was she scared at all?"

Jack chuckled, as he reflected on Lyndy's pregnancy. You know," he said, "at first, she was excited and couldn't wait to be a mother, then she was terrified and certain that having a baby was a mistake, then a week later, she was excited again. It was the hormones, I guess."

"This doesn't feel like hormones, though. What if I never feel any differently?"

Jack pulled Amy into a hug, and told her, "You will. It just takes some time to get used to the whole idea."

"How long did it take you?"

"Oh, now you're asking me to really stretch my memory," Jack said, with a laugh, "actually, I remember the first time I felt Marion kick and it was like a light went on for me. She was a real baby, my baby. I couldn't see her yet, but she was there. After that, I really started picturing myself as a father and began looking forward to it."

"So, maybe there's hope for me yet?"

"Of course, there is," Jack assured her, kissing her on the head. "I think, everyone feels the way you do, at some point. Come to think of it, I even remember your mother coming to me, in a bit of a panic, while she was pregnant with Lou. Seems, she was afraid she wouldn't know what to do with a baby, because horses were her thing, not people."

"That sounds familiar," Amy said.

"I thought it might," he laughed, "you've always been just like your mom. Which is why, I figure, you're going to be a pretty great mom."

"I wish mom was here now," Amy said, crying again.

"I know, I wish she was here too," Jack agreed, hugging her tighter.

Amy was glad that her grandpa had come up and insisted on talking. It helped to know that even her mom and grandparents had experienced what she's been feeling, at some point or another. She still wasn't looking forward to the changes and responsibilities that were coming, but maybe Ty and grandpa were right... maybe, with time, she would begin to see things differently.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

"I know it's been awhile since I've come to talk to you. I've wanted to, but I've just been busy. So, anyway, I have some...news. Um, it turns out... I'm pregnant. I'm not due until February, though, so there's still a long way to go..." Amy laid a bouquet of marigolds and asters down, "I really wish you were here, mom, because I could really use your advice, right now. This is supposed to be a happy time, for Ty and me, but it's turning out to be anything but that. I just...I'm not so sure about the whole 'being a mom' thing. I don't know, I just can't seem to see myself doing that. I'm scared and confused, and Ty and I keep fighting because of it. He can't wait to be a dad, of course. I just wish I could feel that way about being a mom."

Amy pulled some tissues out of her pocket and dried her eyes. "I've had to start keeping tissues with me," she said, as a short laugh escaped her, "They say you should drink lots of water, when your pregnant, and I'm beginning think it's because we lose so much from crying. I don't think I've ever cried this much, in my whole life. Of course, it's not just the hormones, for me. It's knowing that I'm already failing at being a mom...and at being a wife," Amy paused to dry her eyes again, then continued, "Sometimes, Ty gives me this look, I don't think he knows he's doing it, but he just looks so... disappointed. He thinks I'm being selfish, that I care more about myself than the baby."

Amy covered her face, as if to hide her shame, and didn't bother trying to stop the flood of fresh tears.

"The worst part is... he's right," she confessed, "all I can think about is how this pregnancy and being a mom will affect me. I don't mean to, but I just can't stop myself from thinking of how different everything will be for me or of all the ways I could mess this up. I've never really took the time to even think about being a mom, not really. I've always just focused on Ty and my work with horses. Then, he started he talking about having children and he was so excited about the idea that I just, sort of, went with it. It wasn't until I actually thought I might be pregnant, that I really considered what that would mean."

Taking a moment, to catch her breath, she thought about her situation and her future. Looking back at her mother's headstone, she continued, "My whole life is about to change, and I feel completely unprepared. Why can't I just be like other women and be happy about this? Why am I so scared? I feel like... like I don't even deserve to be a mother."

Despite how emotional she'd been lately, she had still kept many of her feelings bottled up inside. The only person she'd really talked to (until grandpa had confronted her) was Ty, and even then she held back. She knew how much it hurt Ty to find out how she felt, so she tried to avoid talking about it anymore than necessary. Now, sitting at her mother's grave, she allowed herself to feel all of the emotions that she had tried to numb herself against. The confusion, the fear, the sadness, the loneliness, the regret, the shame... all of it. She leaned against the cold, hard headstone, the way she wished she could lean against her mother, and wept.

"Seven weeks pregnant, and I'm already a terrible mother and a disappointment to my husband," she confessed in a shaky voice, "I hate feeling like this, I hate feeling so... hopeless."

Ty rode up over the hill, on his horse, toward the cemetery. As he approached, he saw his wife curled up next to her mother's tombstone. Quietly, he dismounted and tied Harley to the fence post, then made his way toward her.

"Amy, are you okay?" Ty asked, as he approached her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice raspy from all her crying.

"Jack told me I might find you here," he said, sitting down next to her, "he also told me that the two of you talked and he knows what's going on."

Amy nodded, not looking directly at her husband, then she asked, "But, why are you here? I thought you weren't talking to me."

Ty sighed and answered, "I wasn't trying to give you the silent treatment, I just didn't know what to say, and it seemed better to not say anything at all until I did."

"And now? Do you know what you want to say?" Amy asked, hesitantly.

Ty shifted his weight, trying to be more comfortable on the hard ground. Not wanting to lose his nerve, he decided to be honest about what he was feeling and answered, "Yeah, I do. You know that I grew up, feeling like my own parents didn't love me and how that affected my whole life. When I think of you not wanting our child, it... it scares me."

"So, even you're afraid that I'll be a terrible mom."

"I know you would be a great mom, if you wanted to be. It's the fact you don't even want to be a mom, that scares me. I just don't understand how you could not want our baby."

Amy pulled her knees closer to her chest and stared at the ground. "It scares me too," she admitted, "I want to want our baby, Ty. I just... I don't know how to get past all of my fears."

"Come here," Ty said, putting his arm around her.

Amy resisted at first, but then leaned into him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Ty kissed her head and held her closer. Her apology brought him some relief and hope. If she was truly sorry, then she should be willing to do whatever was necessary to get past her fears and be the mom that he knew she could be. Maybe now, having already talked Jack, she would be open to talking to someone else.

"Amy," he said, getting her attention, "I think whatever is going on, it's more than we can handle on our own."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"Well, I think we can both agree that how your feeling is more... complicated, than just the normal concerns that pregnant women have."

"So, in other words, you think there is something wrong with me?" Amy questioned him, sitting up and putting space between them, "You think I need professional help, or something, don't you?"

"You're the one who said you didn't know what was wrong with you-"

"Yeah, but you were supposed to say 'nothing is wrong with you', not agree with me."

"I'm sorry," Ty said, unsure of how to respond, since Amy was suddenly on edge. Not wanting to back down, he said, "You know, Lou would probably be a good person to talk to. Not only is she your sister, but she's been through this pregnancy stuff before. I'm sure she probably has a better idea, than I do, of what you're going through. Maybe you don't need professional help, if you'll at least let your family help."

Amy watched, as Harley and Spartan helped themselves to some grass, and thought about Ty's suggestion. Her talk with grandpa had gone better than she expected and she knew she could talk to Lou about almost anything. Talking to her sister was also preferable to talking to a therapist. She looked over at Ty and could see that he was concerned; she knew he only wanted what was best for her and their baby; the last thing she wanted to do was makes things worse between them.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said, leaning back against him, "and talking to Lou is, probably, a good idea."

Ty exhaled in relief, glad that Amy hadn't fought the idea of talking to her sister. "I love you," he told her, wrapping his arms around her again, "I don't like it when you're so unhappy."

"I know," she said, resting her head on his shoulder, "I love you too and I don't want you to be unhappy, either."

The two sat quietly together, for a few minutes. Ty wanted, more than anything, to take away all of his wife's fears and he wished he could make her see herself as the strong and capable woman, that he knew she was. He couldn't do either of those things, though. All he could do was be there for her, loving her and encouraging her, and that's exactly what he was going to do.

"We should probably head back," he suggested.

"Not yet," Amy said, closing the little bit of remaining space between her and her husband.

Ty smiled, and ran his fingers through her long hair. "Okay, just a few more minutes," he happily conceded.

"Thank you," she said, closing her eyes. She was exhausted from the restless night and emotional day; right now was the most relaxed she had felt in a long time. She knew this feeling wouldn't last, so she wanted to hold onto it as long as she could.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Amy pressed her hand against her stomach and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was having morning sickness or if she was just nervous about telling her sister about everything she was going through. She considered heading back to the loft, but she had promised Ty that she would do this, and she didn't want to disappoint him anymore than she already had. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the house and slowly walked into the mud room.

"This is so unfair!" she heard her niece, Georgie, yell from the other room.

"Yeah, well, life's not fair!" she heard Lou yell back.

Amy reached for the doorknob, thinking now was not a good time for a talk.

"Amy, hi!" her sister greeted her, coming to give her a hug.

"Hey, Lou," she said, forcing a smile, "Is everything okay with Georgie?"

"Oh, you heard that, huh?" Lou said, "Yeah, it's fine. She's just mad because she got a bad grade on her math test and I told her she had to stay home and study, instead of going out with her friends."

Amy nodded in understanding.

"So, what brings you by? You've been keeping to yourself a lot lately, is everything okay?"

"Um, actually-"

"Mommy! Mommy, I need you!" Katie called from the other room.

"Okay!" Lou called back, "I'm sorry, Katie woke up with a fever, so I need to check on her."

"Oh, okay. You seem busy, I'll just come back later..." Amy said, hoping this was her way out of talking.

"No, stay, I won't be long."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'll be right back and we can sit and catch up, okay?"

Lou was gone before Amy even had a chance to answer, so she just sat down at the kitchen table to wait. Lou returned, a few seconds later, with her hand on her head.

"Okay, change of plans," she said, "Katie just threw up all over herself, and her bed, and her floor. I could really use some help cleaning it up, do you mind?"

"Um..." Amy didn't know what to do. She wanted to help her sister, but thought cleaning up puke, made her sick to her own stomach."

"Please, Amy?" Lou begged, "If you could just help Katie get a bath, I'll work on her room."

"Yeah, okay, I can help," Amy said, thankful for getting the easier job.

"Thank you so much! I owe you," her sister said, heading toward Katie's room.

Amy followed behind Lou, and as soon they reach the hallway she could smell the stench of vomit. She immediately covered her nose and mouth, hoping her own stomach wouldn't react badly.

"I'll go get the bath water started," she told her sister.

"Okay, I'll send Katie in shortly."

Amy went into the bathroom and shut the door, attempting to keep the smell out. She turned the water on and began filling the tub. Soon, Katie came in, ready for her bath. Katie put her foot in the water, then immediately pulled it back out.

"Ow! That water is too hot!"

"What?" Amy asked, feeling the water. Katie was right, it was hot. Amy realized she had been so focused on not throwing up herself, that she hadn't checked the water temperature. "Oh, sorry Katie," she apologized, draining some of the hot water and adding cooler water.

A couple minutes later, the temperature was perfect and Katie climbed into the bathtub. Amy knelt beside the tub and, using a small cup, she poured water over Katie's hair.

"So you're not feeling well?" she asked, making conversation with the little girl.

"No. I'm sick." Katie told her.

"I'm sorry, it's no fun being sick."

Katie shook her head and stared into the water. "Where are my bubbles?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Mommy always gives me a bubble bath."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Amy said, looking around until she found the small bottle of bubble bath, "I can fix that for you," she added with a smile.

After the water was full of bubbles, she squeezed some shampoo onto the girl's hair and began working it into a lather, when suddenly Katie screamed and started to cry.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" Amy asked, startled and unsure of what happened.

"You got soap in my eyes!" Katie cried, "Get it out! Get it out!"

"I'm sorry! Hold on," Amy told her. She tried flushing the soap out with water, but that only made Katie more upset. The washcloth was covered in soap, so she couldn't use it to wipe the girl's eyes. "I'll be right back," she said, going to to get a fresh washcloth from the closet.

Lou came into the hall and saw Amy and asked, "what's going on, why aren't you in the bathroom with Katie?"

"She got soap in her eyes, I just need a clean washcloth," she explained.

"Well, you can't leave her unattended," Lou admonished her.

"I'm sorry!" Amy snapped, grabbing a washcloth and going back into the bathroom. When she got there Katie was crying even harder. "Hey, are okay?" she asked.

"My nose!"

"What about your nose?"

"There's water in my nose!"

Before Amy could figure out what to do, Lou came in and took over. "See? This is why you can't leave," Lou explained sternly.

Amy watched as Lou calmly told Katie to blow her nose, and rubbed her back. Within a couple of minutes Katie was fine and you wouldn't have known anything had been wrong.

"I'm sorry, Lou," Amy tried to apologize.

"It's fine, I'll just finish her bath from here. Think you can handle cleaning the carpet, in her room?"

"Yeah," Amy said, leaving the bathroom. At this point, cleaning puke out of the carpet seemed like the better task. At least, this way, she wouldn't be putting anyone in danger.

As soon as Amy entered Katie's bedroom, the smell overwhelmed her and she began to feel nauseous. She knew the bathroom was occupied, so she headed outside, hoping the fresh air would help. Once she was on the porch, her stomach settled down. She took a seat on the bench, as a familiar feeling overcame her. Pulling a tissue from her pocket, she chided herself for not being able to give her niece a simple bath. Maybe her fears weren't completely unfounded, maybe she really didn't have what it takes to be a mom.

"Amy?" Lou asked, coming outside with Katie in her arms, "What are you doing out here? You said you'd take care of the carpet, but you haven't done anything."

"I just needed some fresh air," she said.

"Well, I need help getting Katie's room clean, so are you helping or not?"

Amy recalled the awful smell and the mere thought made her stomach turn. "Actually, I can't...I'm sorry," she said, standing up, "ask Georgie to help. I've got to go."

"Fine," Lou said, with a huff, as Amy walked past her and headed toward the barn.

Amy went into the barn office and found Ty sitting at his desk, reviewing a patient file. He hadn't noticed her and she considered walking away, not wanting to tell him that she didn't talk to Lou. When she took a step back, out of the office, the floor creaked and Ty turned around.

"Hey, back already?" he asked, standing up and walking over to to her.

"Yeah..." she said, turning around to face him.

"So, how did your talk go? Did it help?"

"Um, actually... we didn't really get around to talking..."

Ty furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you mean you didn't get around to it? The whole reason you went over was to talk, so what were you doing instead?"

"I was trying to help her take care of Katie... and failing miserably at it," she explained, staring at the floor.

"Well, what were you trying to do?"

"She's sick and she threw up everywhere, so I told Lou I'd give her a bath."

"Okay, so how do you fail at giving a kid a bath?"

Amy looked up at Ty and told him, "By being the world's worst mother...or aunt, apparently."

"Amy, come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

"Well it was. I kept messing up and making Katie scream and cry and, finally, Lou had to take over for me. If I can't even take care of my niece, how am I supposed to take care of my own baby?"

"It'll be different when it's your own baby," Ty said, trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, you're right, it will be different. My baby will be smaller and more fragile, so I'll be even more likely to mess up."

Amy turned to leave, not wanting to continue the conversation, but Ty grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Just let me go, Ty, I really don't talk about this anymore."

"That's fine, we don't have to talk," he told her, putting his arms around her and holding her close.

Relieved that Ty wasn't angry, Amy returned the hug and rested her head against his chest. As he gently rubbed her back, and kept his word to not talk, Amy realized that this is why Ty would be an amazing father. He was patient and gentle (even though she knew he must be upset) and he cared so much about the people he loved.

It was the same thing that made him an amazing husband. She knew she had to be a huge a disappointment to him right now, but he still cared about her and loved her.

"I'm sorry, Ty," she said, "I'm sorry for letting you down, I'm sorry that this pregnancy has been anything but happy, and I'm sorry for causing you so much pain."

"Amy, I want you to happy," Ty said, "but, I have to think about our child too. If you're going through something and you take it out on me, I can handle it. What I can't handle is anyone, even you, not treating our child right. I don't think you'd ever intentionally hurt him, or her, but..." Ty paused, choking back tears, "if you can't start seeing yourself as a mother and if you continue to see our baby as an inconvenience or something, then..."

"Then I will be a bad mom," Amy said, finishing his thought.

"I don't know what to do, because I can't force you to be happy or to want to be a mom. I just... I feel completely helpless. I want to help you and I want protect our child, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to do either of those things, right now."

Amy looked down and placed one of her hands over her stomach. She was still so early in her pregnancy, that it was hard to believe there a baby growing inside her. She remembered what her grandpa had said, about how it became real to him after he felt the baby kick. Unfortunately, it was still too early for that too.

"It's hard, for me, to even believe there's a baby in here," she confessed to Ty, "other than morning sickness, nothing really feels different."

"That will change pretty soon, as the baby gets bigger," Ty said, placing one of his hands on her stomach, next to hers.

Amy nodded, staring at their hands. "I don't want to feel like this and I don't want to be a bad mom or wife."

"I know you don't," Ty said, kissing her forehead.

"You're right, though, you can't fix this for me. I have to figure this out, myself."

"Not all by yourself, though. I want to help, and your family can help too."

Amy nodded again, then looked up at Ty and asked, "We're going to be okay, aren't we?"

Ty kissed her forehead, again, and said, "I hope so."

Amy laid her head back on Ty's chest and looked back at their hands, still placed over her stomach. She was still nervous and unsure about being a mom, but for the first time she felt ready to face her fears. She had to do this for herself, for Ty, and most of all... for their baby.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

"Sorry, I'm not interrupting, am I?" Lou asked, walking in on Ty and Amy in the barn office.

Amy turned toward her sister, quickly dropping her hand from her stomach, and said, "Um, no... we were just talking."

"Well, Georgie is watching Katie, for me, so I was hoping you and I could talk now."

Amy looked at Ty, who said she should go. She smiled and gave Ty a hug, then invited Lou up to the loft.

After getting drinks for each of them, they sat down on the couch.

"Lou," Amy started, "I'm really sorry, about earlier. Instead of helping you, I just caused more problems."

"No, I'm sorry, I was stressed out and I snapped at you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Are you kidding me? I did everything wrong, I just hope Katie doesn't hate me."

Lou laughed and said, "Don't worry, Katie could never hate you. And just so you know, every bath has been like that lately."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, she hates getting anything in her eyes and always overreacts. Also, even though I keep telling her be careful, she loves to pretend she's a mermaid and tries to swim under the water. Every time, she gets some water in her nose and gets upset, but she just won't learn her lesson."

Amy sighed in relief and said, "you have no idea how glad I am to hear that." Then, noticing Lou's confused expression, she clarified, "I don't mean I'm glad that she always does that, I just meant... I'm glad it wasn't just me."

"You did fine, Amy, and I'm glad I had the extra help. Being a mom is hard and I'm learning that I can't always handle everything on my own. It's been really nice to have my family so close, so I don't have to go it alone."

Amy smiled and sipped her tea, as she considered what Lou had just said, about not having to go it alone and having family right there to help. Lowering her mug, she asked, "When you were pregnant with Katie, were you scared?"

Lou chuckled and said, "Yes, I was very scared."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. There was just so much going on in my life, I felt like there couldn't have been worse time to have a baby. Bedford Oil had just gone bankrupt, so Peter and I were suddenly not as well off as we had been; I was trying to run my own business; and, of course, I was worried that I wouldn't even be a good mom."

Amy stared at her sister in disbelief. "You must have hid it well. I always thought you were some kind of super-mom, right from the beginning. I knew you had a lot going on, but you just did what you always do and took control... in a good way, of course."

Lou laughed again and shook her head. "I guess hiding my real feelings is one of my talents, if you can call it that. You know me, I never want anyone to think of me as weak or incapable, even if that's exactly how I feel."

"True," Amy said, "So, you really didn't think you'd be a good mom?"

Lou drank some coffee, then shook her head and said, "Nope, I didn't think I had a maternal bone in my body. I remember babysitting Marnie's son, Jerry Jr., and feeling like I had no idea how to take care of a baby. If it was so hard babysitting, how was I going raise my own child, you know?"

"Oh, I know," Amy said, taking another sip, then adding, "That's pretty much how felt after Katie's bath today."

"Really?" Lou asked, finding her sister's comment, and other questions, a little suspicious, "So, have you and Ty been thinking of having a baby?"

Amy hid behind her mug, and took another sip, as she realized that Lou was catching on. She knew she had to tell her the truth, since that was supposed to be the point of this conversation, but it was still hard for her to open up about it.

"Wait, are you pregnant?" Lou asked, when Amy didn't answer right away.

"Yes," Amy answered, quietly, "I am."

"You are?!" Lou exclaimed, setting her mug on the table and hugging her sister. "I wondered, when Ty tried to tell me you had the flu," she said, sitting back on her side of the couch, "but then Katie got sick and I thought he must have telling the truth after all."

"Nope, he was just covering for me, because I wasn't ready to tell everyone yet," Amy explained.

"Well, this is great news, isn't it?"

"Yeah, for Ty, he can't wait to be a dad."

"But, not for you?" Lou asked, seeing that Amy looked anything but happy about her news.

"Honestly, the whole thing scares me."

"Why's that?" Lou asked, picking her mug up and taking another sip.

"I just can't see myself as a mom and I don't know if I can do it."

Lou lowered her mug and took her sister's hand, telling her, "Of course you can. I know it can be scary at first, but trust me, you are going to be an amazing mom."

"I want to believe that, I really do, but... I just can't," Amy told her, feeling an all too familiar stinging in her eyes.

Lou set her coffee down once more, and moved closer to her little sister. "Why not?" She asked, "You're so kind, and gentle, and patient, and caring..."

"Yeah, with horses."

"With people too, especially kids." Lou said, "You've always been great with Georgie and Katie... and Shane, he was like a brother to you, before we found out he was really our brother."

Amy laughed, but it was a short, sad laugh. "How can I be good with other people's children, but not with my own?" she mused out loud, staring at her tea.

"What are you talking about? You're only, what, a couple months pregnant?" Lou asked, "How could you already not be good with your baby?"

"I'm seven weeks," she informed Lou, "and I'm already a bad mom, just because...I don't want to be a mom." Everything blurred, as her eyes filled with more tears.

"Come on, Amy, you don't mean that."

"Yes, I do," she said, looking toward Lou, "Just before I found out that was pregnant, I told Ty that I didn't want to have kids."

"Really?" Lou asked, as she couldn't quite believe that Amy would really feel that way; the look on her sister's face, though, told her it was true.

Amy nodded and looked away, Lou's look of disappointment only made her feel worse. "Now, I'm pregnant and I don't know what to do. I've been trying to just go along with it, but I can't fake being happy. It's been hard, because Ty's so excited, but I keep wishing I wasn't pregnant," hearing her own words, Amy looked at Lou and tried to explain, "I know that sounds awful. I don't mean I want anything to happen to the baby, I just mean that I wish I hadn't gotten pregnant in the first place."

Lou put her arm around Amy's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Well, see? You just said you don't want anything to happen to the baby. Wanting your child to be safe is a sign of being a good mom."

"I guess," Amy said, considering what Lou had told her, "but, doesn't it make me a bad mom, to wish they had never existed to begin with?"

Lou hesitated, then said, "No, I don't think it does."

"Why not?"

"Because, I don't think you really feel that way. I think that's just the fear talking."

"Have you ever felt that way?"

Lou didn't want to answer honestly, but if anyone need to know the truth, it was Amy. "Yes," she said, "there are times when life is crazy and the kids are just wearing me out, that I've thought things would be easier if I wasn't a mom." Admitting to those thoughts gave Lou some perspective on how her sister felt. Even if that wasn't really how she felt, it still made her feel bad for ever thinking that way, even for a second.

"Obviously, I don't really feel that way," she clarified, "I love my girls and I love being a mom and I can't really imagine life any other way. Trust me, when your baby comes, you're going to feel that way, too."

"That's what Ty keeps telling me...I just hope it's true."

Lou gave her another hug and said, "You're going to be just fine, Amy. You don't have to do any of this alone, we're all here for you."

Amy gave a weak smile, and said, "He keeps telling me that, too."

"Well, that's because it's true. If you need anything, even just to talk, you just have to let us know."

Amy nodded and leaned on her sister, then said, "Thank you, Lou."

"Of course, so do you feel any better?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Just a little?"

"Well, I'm still nervous, but I do feel better knowing that you're here for me."

"I will always be here for you. You're my little sister and that baby is my niece or nephew. I won't let you mess them up."

"Good to know," Amy said with a laugh.

Lou laughed too, then added, "I can't believe I'm finally going to be an aunt."

"I can't believe I'm going to be a mom," Amy said, placing her hand over her stomach.

"I can," Lou said with a smile.

Amy smiled back, appreciative of her sister's confidence.

"So, just out of curiosity, when are you going to let everyone know?" Lou asked.

"Well, I was thinking we'd tell everyone next week, after my first check-up."

"Good, I think I can make it a week without letting it slip," Lou teased.

"Can you also keep what we've talked about a secret? I just don't want everyone knowing how I feel about this."

"Of course, I won't tell anyone," Lou promised.

"Thank you," Amy said, giving her older sister a hug.

The two of them continued to talk about other things that had been going on. Lou did most of the talking, which Amy didn't mind at all. It was nice to think about something else and, for a little while, Amy felt more like her normal self. Eventually, though, their conversation was interrupted by a text message from Georgie.

"Uh oh," Lou said, reading the text.

"Is everything okay?" Amy asked, concerned for her nieces.

Lou sighed and told her, "Apparently, Katie threw up again and Georgie's not feeling so great herself, now."

"Do you need help?" Amy volunteered, still feeling badly about earlier.

"Thank you, but no. You should stay here and get some rest," Lou said, standing up, "I don't want you and the baby being exposed to this any more than you already have been."

"Okay," Amy said, knowing there was no point in arguing with her sister. She didn't really want to clean up puke anyway. "Thanks again for the talk and I hope the girls feel better soon."

Lou smiled, "Any time and I hope so too! Take care of yourself, and call me anytime you need to talk again."

"I will."

Lou hurried down the stairs and Amy laid down on the couch. Lying on her back, she put her hands over her stomach.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, slowly rubbing her belly, "I'm sorry I haven't been happy about this... about you." This was first time Amy had spoken directly to her baby. She felt a little weird about it, like she was just talking to herself, but she was also coming to terms with the truth- inside her was her baby, her child. She'd spent enough time thinking about herself. If there was any hope for her to be a good mother, she was going to have to start thinking about the baby.


	16. Chapter 16

The Results (16)

Chapter 16:

Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath to relax herself. Over the past week she had done her best to stay positive about her pregnancy and not let her fears and worries consume her, but it hadn't been easy. She was still having morning sickness and could only spend short amounts of time in the barn without getting queasy. It was difficult to be positive while throwing up or when her go-to method of stress relief, that is working with the horses, caused her more stress.

At night, she had begun having dreams about the baby and they weren't pleasant ones. She kept dreaming about things like forgetting to feed the baby for days or that the baby cried every time she went near it. Often, she would wake up in tears, feeling like her dream had really happened. Ty kept reassuring her that her bad dreams were just based on her fear, and not an indication of what kind of mom she'd really be.

When she wasn't feeling sick to her stomach or having nightmares, however, it was easier to be positive. Anytime she struggled with it, Ty was willing to listen to her concerns. Everyday, they had talked about how each of them were feeling. Their conversations helped her feel better and she actually began feeling even closer to Ty than ever. His love for her, and their baby, was so genuine and she felt less anxious when he was around.

"Okay, ready?" her doctor asked.

Amy nodded, as she opened her eyes and looked up at her husband. He smiled and gently squeezed her hand. She smiled back, thinking he looked like a little boy who was about to open a Christmas present.

"Alright," the doctor said, as Amy and Ty turned their attention to the screen, "there is your baby."

Amy stared at the little shape in the middle of screen, listening as the doctor explained what they were seeing.

"This here," she said, pointing at the screen, "is your baby's head and this smaller area is the body."

"Wow, it's so tiny," Ty pointed out.

"About the size of a raspberry," Dr. Campbell replied, with a smile.

"That's amazing," he said, "I mean, I'm a vet, so I know all about this stuff in animals, but..."

"It's even more incredible when it's you're own child?" Dr. Campbell guessed.

"Yeah, definitely," he said, never taking his eyes off of the screen.

The doctor, still smiling, turned her attention back to the monitor and took some measurements. Then, pointing at the baby again, she asked, "Do you see right here, this fluttering?"

Amy and Ty both nodded.

"That is your baby's heart beating." Dr. Campbell watched as the young parents smiled and looked at each other, then back at the screen.

Amy had been quietly taking it all in. She wasn't sure if she'd be getting an ultrasound at her first appointment, since Lou had told her it depends on the doctor. Even if she had known, there's no way she could have prepared herself for this moment. She was seeing her baby for the first time and there was no denying that she was actually pregnant. Her baby was so small and just beginning to even look like a baby.

"It looks so fragile," Amy commented out loud.

"Well, yes," the doctor responded, "that's why it'll be important for you to take care of yourself and avoid any activities that put and the baby at risk for injury. That being said, the human body is pretty incredible and the baby is very safe in there."

Amy nodded and looked at Ty, who gave her a reassuring smile. He must have seen the concern on her face, because he leaned down and kissed her head, then whispered in her ear, "Our baby is healthy and safe. You're already doing a great job."

Amy smiled and turned her attention back to the screen. The baby wiggled a little and Amy felt something she hadn't expected to feel... a connection. As she looked at her child, she felt a strong desire to protect and care for him...or her. She was a mother now and this little life inside of her was depending on her.

It wasn't until Dr. Campbell offered her a tissue, that she realized she had begun crying. "I'm sorry," she said, drying her eyes.

"No reason to be sorry," the doctor assured her, "I cried during every ultrasound with my three children, even though I perform them all the time. It's a perfectly normal reaction when you see your baby for the first time." Handing a tissue to Ty, she added, "That goes for the fathers, too."

Ty blushed as he accepted the tissue and dabbed his own eyes.

"You've always been a big marshmallow," Amy told him and they both laughed.

Dr. Virani had referred them to Dr. Campbell and Amy was glad she did. Dr. Campbell was very kind and friendly. From the moment she walked into the room, she had a smile on her face and made them both feel comfortable. As she talked to them about the pregnancy and what to expect, Amy could tell that she had been doing this for a while.

"Everything looks good," Dr. Campbell told them, as she finished the ultrasound. "And this is for you," she said, handing Amy a printed photo of the baby.

"Thank you," Amy said, staring and smiling at the picture.

Ty leaned down and looked at the picture with her. "We'll have to put this in our photo book, for sure," he said, then kissed his wife on the cheek.

"But first," Amy told him, "we should take it dinner, so we can we show it to everyone when we tell them good news."

Ty looked at his wife, had he heard her correctly? The smile on her face told him that he had.

As soon as they were in the truck, ready to go back home, Ty turned to Amy. "So, you said we should tell everyone the good news..."

"Yeah, I did..."

"Do you mean it? Do you think it's good news, now, that you're pregnant?"

Amy shrugged and smiled, "Yeah, I think so... I mean, I'm still nervous, but..." She looked out the front window as she gathered her thoughts. Looking back at Ty she continued, "Seeing our baby on the ultrasound was... incredible. He, or she, is so little and I'm the only one who keep them safe right now. When I was watching the baby, I actually felt happy, instead of scared." She looked at her stomach and gently rubbed it. She couldn't get the image of her baby out of her mind... and she didn't want to.

Ty couldn't keep himself from grinning as he listened to his wife. Hearing her say she was happy about the baby was as exciting as finding out he was going to be a dad. "You," he said, sliding across the bench seat, "are going to be a great mom." He put his arm around her and kissed her head.

Amy looked up and into Ty's eyes. This wasn't the first time he had told her that, of course, but it was the first time she thought he might be right.

"I guess, there's hope for me after all."

Ty rested his forehead against hers. "I always thought so," he said, then he gently kissed her cheek and then her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said, kissing him back.

"You know, we still have a couple of hours before dinner..." Ty pointed out, kissing her again, then adding, "we could use them to celebrate our good news, just the two of us."

"Sounds like a great idea," Amy said, smiling and giving her husband one more kiss.

Ty slid back behind the steering wheel and started his truck. He glanced at Amy, who was still smiling and, once again, admiring the photo of their baby. She looked happier than she had in weeks. Finally, he could be excited to be a father and not worry about how Amy would handle being a mother. Their child was going to be loved by both parents.

* **A/N** *

Sorry for the long wait! Life has been busy and I wanted to make sure this chapter & the next one were how I wanted them. Then next chapter has been started, but not finished. So the bad news is- I don't know when the next chapter will be ready to post. The good news is- I have a much clearer idea of what I want to write (and as I said, I've already started it), so hopefully it won't be too long.

Thank you everybody for reading and reviewing this story! I'm happy that so many of you are enjoying it!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

"Are you almost ready?" Ty asked his wife, while getting himself a glass of water.

"Yeah, just a minute," she answered from the bedroom.

The ultrasound photo, which was on the kitchen table, caught Ty's eye. He picked it up and smiled, admiring his baby. He couldn't wait to be a father and hold his son or daughter in his arms.

"We can't forget to take that to dinner," Amy said, joining her husband and sliding her arm around his waist, "everyone will want to see it." She smiled, staring at the picture, and laid her head on Ty's shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head and put his arm around her waist. "I'm glad we can finally enjoy these moments together."

Amy's smile faded. Turning to face him, she said, "I'm sorry it has taken me so long to be okay with this."

"I knew you'd get there, eventually. I'm just glad it happened now, instead of later," he said.

"Me too," she said, her smile returning, "and thank you for being here for me, even when it wasn't easy."

"I'll always be here for you, Amy."

"I know," she said, hugging him, "that's one of the many reasons why I love you."

Ty returned the hug, holding his wife close. There had been so much tension between them lately, but right now it was as if they didn't have a care in the world.

"Do we have to go to dinner with your family?" Ty asked, as he softly kissed her neck.

"Yes," she said with a laugh, "you know we do." Leaning back, to see him, she asked, "You want to tell everyone that we're having a baby, don't you?"

Ty loved hearing her say "we're having a baby" and she was right, he couldn't wait to let everyone else know. "Yes...I do," he said, giving her one more kiss.

"Then we better get going," she said, stepping back and nodding her head toward the door.

Ty smiled, sliding the ultrasound picture into his pocket, and followed his wife out of the loft.

For dinner, Lisa and Lou had made roast with mashed potatoes, corn, dinner rolls, and salad. It was normally one of Amy's favorite meals, but once again her morning sickness was ruining her appetite.

"Is something wrong with your dinner?" Lisa asked, noticing that Amy was the only one who still had a plate full of food.

"No, it's fine, I'm just not very hungry right now."

"Are you feeling okay?" Lisa pressed,"Lou mentioned you'd had the flu."

"Is that why you haven't been working?" Tim wanted to know, "because you're sick?"

"No offense, but if you are still sick, stay away from me," Georgie said.

"Hey, be nice," Lou told her daughter.

"I don't want to catch it again, it was awful," Georgie defended herself, "Plus, I have that Extreme Team trip this weekend and I do not want to miss it."

"Don't worry, Georgie, I'm not sick," Amy assured her.

"Great, so you'll be getting back to work then," Tim said.

"Um, actually..."

Ty leaned toward his wife and said, in a low voice, "I think it might be time to just tell them."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"Time to tell them what?" Tim asked, "what's he talking about, Amy?"

"Would you just calm down," Jack told him, "they'll tell everyone whenever they're ready to."

Amy's stomach grew uneasy as she looked around the table, while everyone waited to hear the news. She had only recently accepted the pregnancy herself, now she was about to announce it to the whole family, making it public knowledge. Was she really for that? Once they knew, it would be all they'd want to talk about. Maybe, she wasn't ready yet...

Ty noticed that Amy was clutching her stomach, and when he took her hand in his own, he felt it shaking. "You can do this," he whispered to her, as he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Amy took the paper and looked at it. It was the ultrasound photo... the very first picture of their baby. Once again, Amy felt the desire to love and protect her child, and to share her good news with her family. She smiled and whispered, "thank you," to Ty.

Her stomach started to relax and she returned her attention to her family.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "First of all, I didn't have the flu. Lou only said that to keep a secret for me." She gave her sister a grateful smile.

"So, Lou already knows your secret?" Tim asked.

"Yes..."

"Would you just let her finish?" Jack said, growing more annoyed with Tim.

"The real reason why I haven't been working and why I haven't been feeling well, is because... I've been having really bad morning sickness."

"What's that?" Katie asked.

"It means... she's pregnant!" Georgie answered, grinning at her aunt and uncle.

Katie gasped and clapped her hands together, "You're having a baby, Auntie Amy?!"

Amy laughed and nodded, "Yes, I am."

"Well congratulations!" Lisa told her, standing up to go give her a hug.

"Pregnant, huh?" said Tim, "That... that is great news."

Soon everyone was waiting their turn to hug Amy and Ty and offer their congratulations.

"You seem much happier about this," Jack quietly said, while hugging Amy.

"I am. We had an ultrasound today and it was... amazing."

"Well, I am glad to hear that," said Jack.

"Oh! Speaking of the ultrasound!" Amy handed her grandpa the photo, "Here's a picture of the baby."

"Oh, look how cute," Lisa said, looking at the picture over Jack's shoulder.

"I wanna see!" said Katie, making her way over.

"So, my baby is having a baby," Tim said, hugging his daughter.

Amy laughed, "yeah, I guess so."

"Well, I'm happy for you... I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, dad."

"I'm happy for you, too," Tim told Ty, shaking his hand, "but, you better make sure you take care of these two."

"I will, I promise," Ty told him.

"Good, because if anything happens to either of them, I'm holding you responsible."

"Of course," Ty said, trying not to let Tim get to him.

"Okay dad, my turn," Lou said, sliding in front of him and hugging Ty. "Congratulations... officially," she said, with a laugh.

"Thanks Lou," he said, then he added quietly, "and thanks for talking to Amy and keeping our secret."

"Anytime," she smiled, then she turned to hug her sister. "So, are you feeling better about everything?"

"Yeah," Amy admitted, "I'm actually, even feeling kind of excited."

"Really? That's great! Oh, I can't wait to take you shopping for maternity clothes or plan your baby shower..."

"Woah, slow down Lou," Amy laughed, "I'm not that far along yet."

"I know, but the next seven months are going to go by faster than you realize."

"Well, then I'm glad to know I'll have your help, whenever I need it."

"Auntie Amy, is your baby a boy or a girl?" Katie asked.

"Well, I don't know yet. It's still too early to tell."

"Oh. Well, I hope it's a girl so she can have tea parties with me."

Amy laughed and knelt down to hug her niece. "Boy or girl, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun playing together."

"And I can babysit him or her," Georgie added, coming to give her aunt a hug.

"See?" said Ty, "We're going to have plenty of help with our baby."

"Was there ever any doubt, in this family?" asked Lisa, "You know Jack and I love watching the grandkids, too."

"Yeah, GG and Lisa are the best babysitters!" Katie told them.

"Hey! What about me?" Tim asked, scooping Katie up into his arms and tickling her, "Aren't I a good babysitter, huh?"

Laughing and squirming, she answered, "Yes! Because you give me extra candy!"

"Oh, really?" Lou asked, laughing, "Sounds like I need to have a talk with grandpa."

"Oh, way to go!" Tim teased his granddaughter, "Now I'm in trouble."

Amy looked around the room, watching her family smiling and laughing. A baby was going to change a lot of things, but one thing was sure to stay the same- she had a big, loving family who would always be there to help and support her and Ty.

Ty came up behind his wife and put his arms around her waist, so his hands were resting on her stomach. "I'd say our announcement went pretty well," he whispered.

"Yeah, it did," she agreed, leaning into him.

"Our baby is going to be well loved, that's for sure," he said.

Later that night, as they were getting into bed, Amy pulled the small photo book out of her nightstand drawer. "Do you have the photo?" she asked?

"Right here," Ty said, handing it to her.

Carefully, she slid it into the photo sleeve. "Just the first of many pictures of our little one," she said.

Ty smiled and softly rubbed her stomach. "So, what do you think? Is it a boy or girl?" he asked.

"I don't know. Every time I have a dream about it, it's a boy... but, those are just dreams."

"Well, we could use some more boys around here, and I could teach him how to ride a motorcycle..."

"And what if it's a girl?"

"Well, then... I'll teach her how to ride a motorcycle," Ty said, grinning.

"Of course you will," Amy laughed.

Ty slid closer to his wife and rested his head against hers. "You know, we could end up with one of each..."

Looking at him, out the side of her eyes, she said, "The ultrasound only showed one baby..."

"I know, I didn't mean I think we're having twins," Ty clarified.

Amy nodded in understanding, "You're already thinking about having another one?"

Ty shrugged, "Maybe..."

Turning toward her husband, Amy said, "I just got used to the idea of having one. So, let's just focus on this pregnancy for a while, before we think about having any more."

"Okay," he said, kissing her and letting it go. He certainly didn't want to push the subject and risk turning her off to the idea. The important thing was that they were having baby and Amy was finally happy about it. Life was so good, right now, and he just wanted to enjoy it.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

"There you are," Ty said, finding his wife in the barn.

Amy smiled, continuing to brush Spartan, and said, "Can you believe it? I've been down here for over an hour and I still don't feel sick."

"That's great! Sounds like the morning sickness is coming to an end."

"I certainly hope so. I am 10 weeks now, so my first trimester is almost over."

Ty watched as Amy lovingly groomed her horse, while smiling and talking to him. He imagined her with a daughter, brushing her hair and laughing with her. Then again, they might have a boy. He pictured a blonde boy, with dirt all over his hands and face; he could see Amy carefully scrubbing his cheeks, and listening to his stories of whatever adventure he'd been on.

Amy looked up, over Spartan's back, and saw her husband staring and smiling at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked him.

Ty laughed and shook his head, "Sorry, I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"About you," he said, walking around the black horse to join his wife.

"Good thoughts, I hope."

Hugging her, he said, "Of course they were good. Watching you, while you take of Spartan, made me think of what a caring and loving mother you're going to be."

Amy looked down at her stomach and smiled. "I hope so," she said, rubbing it gently.

"Well, I know so," Ty assured her. Then, crouching down so his face was at her stomach, he said, "You're gonna have the best mommy in the whole world."

"The best daddy, too," Amy added.

Ty looked up at his wife and smiled, then kissed her stomach. "We already love you so much, little one."

"You know, according to our book, the baby can't really hear you yet."

Ty stood up and looked his wife in the eyes, "Well, I'm going to keep talking to him-"

"or her"

"...or her... anyway. As soon they can hear, they'll know how much we love them."

"That's what makes you such a good dad," Amy told him, kissing him.

"Mmm, this is what makes you a good wife," Ty whispered, kissing her back.

The kiss continued, until Spartan snorted and began to paw the ground.

"Um, I think someone else was still wanting my attention..." said Amy.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ty laughed, "Well, when you're done in here, I was thinking we could go do something."

"Okay, like what?"

Ty shrugged, "I don't know, just something together. We won't be able to go out as much, just the two of us, once the baby is here. So, I figure we should make the most of the time we have together, before our little one is born."

"Yeah, okay," Amy said, smiling, "I'll let you know as soon as I'm done in here."

Ty kissed her head, "Great, I'll be waiting."

After doing some cleaning around the loft, Ty opened the refrigerator and began collecting everything he needed to make sandwiches. Then, with his hands full, he kicked the door closed and set everything on the counter. He opened the bread bag, pulled out four slices, and set them side by side on a plate. He was unscrewing the lid to the mayonnaise, when he heard the familiar sound of footsteps on the stairway.

"Okay, barn chores are done," came Amy's voice, as she reached the top of the stairs, "I'm all yours." She walked over to her husband and and scanned the kitchen counter. "Isn't a little early for lunch?" she asked, checking the time in her phone.

"Yes, but this is for later. It's a beautiful day and I was just thinking it's been a while since we've had a picnic in the back of the truck."

"Hmm, that does sound good," Amy said, helping herself to a slice of cheese.

"Hey! That's for sandwiches," Ty said, smiling at his wife.

"Well, I'm hungry," Amy said in defense, "and the baby wanted cheese."

"I'm sure," Ty laughed.

"It's true," she said, sneaking another slice.

"Alright," Ty said, catching her, "you better stop or we won't have any left for lunch."

Amy laughed, taking a big bite out of the second slice of cheese. "By the way, I think I'd rather have a good old fashioned, peanut butter and jelly."

"Really? How come?" Ty asked, as he had planned on making a turkey sandwich, just the way she liked it.

"Well, in the book it says I should avoid lunch meat, because it could contain Listeria, which could be really harmful to the baby."

Ty nodded, in understanding, "It also said that it's rare for the meat to have it and you'll most likely be fine."

"I know," she replied, "but I'd rather be safe than sorry. It's my job to protect the baby and I'm already worried enough that I'll mess up this whole mom thing." Amy gently rubbed her belly, and continued, "I don't want to worry that I ate the wrong thing, when I knew better... besides, I've kind of been having a craving for peanut butter anyway."

Ty smiled at his wife. "I understand," he told her, " peanut butter and jelly it is."

"Thank you."

"And for the record, you are, and will continue to be, a great mom."

Amy smiled and nodded, then turned her attention to the lunch items on the counter. "Mind if I help?"

"Not at all, sooner we're done, sooner I get to spend the day with you."

Amy stretched her legs out in the bed of the truck. Gently rubbing her stomach, she leaned against her husband and closed her eyes. She shivered, as a cool breeze passed by, but immediately felt Ty's warm arms reach around her.

"Comfortable?" he asked, kissing her head.

"Mmm hmm," she answered with a nod.

"Did you get enough to eat?"

"Plenty," she said, patting her stomach, "and thank you, this was a great idea."

With his wife resting in his arms, Ty closed his eyes and let himself relax. Lazy moments like this would be rare, once the baby arrived. In fact, they were rare now with their busy schedules. Ty opened his eyes and pulled his phone from his pocket and shut it off. He wasn't about to let anyone interrupt this peaceful afternoon. If anyone needed them, they'd have to come find them, he thought to himself. Next, he carefully picked up Amy's phone, from beside her, and turned it off as well. Amy didn't even notice and Ty realized she was already sound asleep. He laughed to himself, thinking about how tired she must have been. Getting comfortable, once again, he shut his eyes and hoped he'd be able to fall asleep as quickly as Amy had.

Sleep did come quickly, but it didn't last as long as Ty had hoped it would. Amy's elbow had jabbed him in the side, waking him up.

Startled, Ty sat straight up, "What? What do you need?" he asked, reflexively.

"Nothing," Amy replied, "sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Ty blinked a few times, as his eyes adjusted to the light. Something sounded off, about the way Amy spoke, and he now noticed her holding her stomach. "Are you okay?" he asked, "Is the nausea back?"

Amy inhaled sharply and shook her head, "No, it's not that," she said, exhaling slowly and closing her eyes.

"Well, what is it?" Ty asked, becoming more concerned.

Amy relaxed, then turned to face her husband. "Sorry, it was just a little bit of cramping."

"Cramping?" The word sent up a red flag in his mind and he wondered why his wife was so nonchalant about it. "How bad is it? Should we call the doctor?"

"Ty, relax," she told him, "it's not bad, I'm fine...the baby is fine."

"Are you sure? How can you tell?"

"Well, because I was having some the other day-"

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were at work, so I called the doctor. She said a little bit of cramping is actually normal and it's probably just growing pains. Unless they get really bad or I have bleeding, I'm fine."

Ty let himself relax and tried to smile. "So you already talked to the doctor?" he confirmed.

Amy nodded.

"You still should've told me."

"I know," she said, taking a hold of his hand, "and I meant to, but but by the time you got home, I wasn't thinking about it. Besides, I didn't want you worrying about something that the doctor said not to worry about."

"Okay, but from now on I'd like to know, anyway." He looked at her stomach, placing his hand over it, then looked back at her, "that's my baby, too."

Amy smiled and leaned in to kiss her husband, but stopped when she felt another sharp pain. Resting her head on his shoulder, she again held onto her stomach.

"Another one?" Ty asked, rubbing her back and trying not to assume the worst.

She could only nod as she scrunched her face in pain.

After a couple of minutes, Amy was still doubled over in pain, trying to breathe through it.

"Amy... I don't think these are just growing pains..."

Gradually, Amy's breathing evened out and she was able to sit up. Taking one more deep breath and then relaxing, she looked up at Ty and said, "It's gone now, I'm okay."

"Still, I think we need to take you to the hospital and get you checked out."

"No, I'm fine," Amy argued, "I don't need to get checked."

"Are you sure? Because, I'd really feel better..."

"Ty, I'm fine!"

Knowing how much Amy hated hospitals, Ty decided to try compromising, rather than continuing to argue.

"Okay, but I think we should go home, at least. You can lie down and if they get any worse, then we'll get you checked," he said.

"Fine," she conceded, "but only if you lie down with me."

"I think I could do that," Ty said, leaning in to kiss his wife.

Once home, Amy ran up the stairs. "Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have drank so much tea," she said, making a beeline to the bathroom.

Ty just smiled and shook his head, thankful that he wasn't the one who had to go through pregnancy. Amy hadn't had anymore pain, so she must have been right- everything was fine and he was just worrying too much. Of course she would know her body better than he would, he just needed to learn to trust her with these things.

A few minutes later, Amy came out of the bathroom.

"It's about time, I'm almost asleep," Ty teased, already lying in bed.

"Ty... we need to go to the hospital."

Ty sat straight up and looked at his wife. She didn't appear to be in any pain, but her face was pale.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, getting out of bed.

"I...um... I'm bleeding," she told him, no longer able to hold back her tears, "...a lot."

For a moment, Ty felt frozen in place. Was this really happening? Maybe he had fallen asleep and this was just a bad dream.

Amy groaned and grabbed her side. "The cramps are coming back," she told him, through clenched teeth.

Ty shook his head, shaking himself loose from his daze. "Ok, it's going to be okay," he told her, taking her by the arm and gently leading her to the stairs.

"What if it's not," Amy asked, breathlessly, looking at Ty.

"Just don't think about that right now," he told her, "let's just get to the hospital."

Ty tried to take his own advice, but he couldn't help it... he was terrified that they could be losing their baby.

A/N:

Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter posted. I've been really busy. I appreciate all of the reviews and I'm so glad you're loving this story and want more- that really does encourage me to keep at it.

The next chapter has been started, and hopefully it won't take me as long to write as this one did. Thank you all, so much, for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Ty stepped out of the barn, breathing in the fresh air. The sun warmed his face, from the cloudless sky, and horses whinnied in the field. In the distance, he could hear a motorcycle speeding down the road. It was beautiful weather for a ride. He thought of his Norton and, for a just a second, he wanted to go start it up and hit the road. Nothing helped him clear his mind and get perspective, like a ride on his bike.

Looking up toward the loft, he shook the idea from his mind. He needed to stay here. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to make sure it was turned on and the volume was up. If Amy needed him, she'd be able to reach him, and he'd be at her side in moments. He was here for her... but, who was here for him?

Ty was lost in thought, recalling the last twenty-four hours, when the sound of a truck coming down the driveway caught his attention. Thankful for a distraction, he watched as the truck came closer. As it pulled up to the barn, he did his best to smile politely at the driver.

"Hey, Jack," he said, as the older man opened his door and stepped out.

"Hey," Jack answered back, "what are you doing out here? I figured you'd be up there with Amy," he said, nodding toward the loft.

"Yeah, well, she finally fell asleep, and I didn't want to wake her, so I came down here to get some fresh air."

"I see," he nodded, "well, since you're here, would you mind helping me with these?" Jack walked to the back of the truck and lifted a large bag of feed onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, of course," Ty said, walking to the other side.

"So, uh, how's she doing?" Jack asked quietly, setting his bag of feed down, on the barn floor.

"Not great," Ty answered honestly. "She's pretty upset and she blames herself, even though I keep telling her it's not her fault."

As the two headed toward the truck for the other bags, Jack asked, "And what about you? how are you holding up?"

"Um, I'm okay," Ty lied, lifting more feed out of the truck.

"Now, I don't believe that for a second," Jack said, picking up another bag as well. He knew how much Ty wanted to be a father and there was no way he was "okay" right now.

Ty carried his bag into the barn. He knew if he could be honest with anyone, besides Amy, it was Jack. Over the years he had become the father Ty never had. Someone, he could actually look up to and respect. Someone he felt safe around. There was no reason to hide his feelings and Jack wouldn't let him anyway.

"Okay, yeah...I guess I'm not doing too well either," he admitted, dropping the bag onto the stack. "I mean, I've really been looking forward to being a dad, but now..." He shook his head, fighting back tears.

Jack put a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it.

"When I found out Amy was pregnant, I couldn't really enjoy it. She was so unhappy about it, at the time, so I mostly hid any excitement I felt. Then, she slowly came around and we finally reached a point where we were both happy and looking forward to having this baby." Ty wiped his eyes with his hand. "I just don't get it. After all we've been through, why does something like this have to happen, too?"

"I don't know," Jack said, unsure of what to say. Before he could think of something, Ty continued on.

"You know, I've been so worried about how I would protect the baby after he or she was born. I guess, I should've been doing more to protect him or her now."

Jack shook his head and looked Ty, sternly in eyes, "You know there's nothing you could have done any differently. This isn't anyone's fault."

"I know...and that's what scares me worst of all," Ty admitted, his voice shaking, "I hate knowing that I can't protect my own child from everything."

"That's always been the hardest part of being a parent, and I hate to say it, but it never gets easier."

Ty grabbed his pocket knife and sliced open a bag of feed. "Maybe Amy was right," Ty whispered, putting the knife back in his pocket, "maybe we'd be better off not having kids."

"Now, you don't mean that," Jack said, opening the feed bin, so Ty could empty the bag into it.

"I just feel so helpless, right now. We're just stuck in this limbo, not knowing if our baby will be okay or not."

"And the doctors don't know what's going on?" Jack asked, trying to recall what he had been told earlier.

Ty shook his head, "No. They just called it a 'threatened miscarriage'. The way I understand it is, they don't know why Amy is having cramping and bleeding, but she's at a higher risk for miscarrying, because of it."

"And there's nothing they can do?"

Ty shook his head. "The doctor said it wouldn't hurt for Amy to take it easy the next few days. Otherwise, all we can do is wait," he told him, "she'll either get better, and the baby will be fine, or..." He couldn't bring himself to finish.

They continued to add feed to the bin, silently. Then, a humorless laugh came from Ty. "I should have known better than to get my hopes up," he said.

Jack paused and stared at the young man for a moment. "Get your hopes up about what? Having a baby? Why wouldn't you hope for and even expect that when your wife is pregnant?"

"I don't mean about this baby," Ty clarified. "I was hoping that, after having this baby, Amy would feel more confident and even enjoy being a mother."

"Then, down the road, you two would have more children," Jack, understanding what he meant.

"Yeah, that was the idea. After Amy came around to having this one, I suggested having more. She didn't even want to think about it, yet. She just wanted to focus on this pregnancy. Now, the way this one is turning out, I doubt she'll ever want to try again."

"Well, you never know," Jack said, hoping to encourage him, "she came around once, she could come around again."

"Maybe," Ty said, tossing the empty feed bags into the trash. "I just feel like this is my only chance to be a dad and have a family. If the baby makes it, he or she will probably be our only one. And if not," Ty slammed the lid shut on the trash can, "then, I guess that's it."

"Well, I think Amy is right about something," Jack said, "right now, the best thing to do is focus on this pregnancy. Just take it one moment at a time, and don't stress about the future."

Ty nodded. It wasn't easy advice to follow, but he knew Jack was right.

"Your wife and your baby both need you, right now. You said the baby's chances are better as long as Amy takes it easy, so your job is to help her do that."

"I have been," Ty told him, "I've been taking care of everything, so Amy hardly even has to get out of bed."

"And that's good, but you also need to be helping her to stay calm and not worry. If you're stressed, she's going to be stressed, and that's not good for the baby."

Ty leaned against the wall and thought about what Jack saying. "I know you're right, but it's easier said than done," he told him.

"Well, not much about parenting is easy," Jack said, "but I know you and Amy will get through this, no matter what happens. You both have had your share of troubles over the years and you both have always come out stronger on the other side, especially when you've done it together."

Ty nodded, staring at the ground.

Jack patted him on the shoulder and told him, "Go on upstairs and just sit with Amy. Neither of you should be going through this alone."

"Okay," Ty said, "thanks for the talk."

"Anytime," Jack said, "and don't hesitate call or come over, if you need to talk more. The rest of us are always here for you, if either of you need anything."

"Thank you," Ty said, through a sad sort of smile, "we really appreciate that."

Jack smiled back at Ty, then started heading back to his truck. "Oh! One more thing," Jack said, turning back toward Ty, "from my experience, it's never been a bad idea to have hope."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Amy shivered, as she lay there, staring at the tiled ceiling above her. Her entire midsection ached and the smell of latex and rubbing alcohol was making her nauseous. She pulled on her only sheet, trying to cover herself more, but it was too thin to actually keep her warm. She wasn't sure how long she had been lying there, she only knew she wanted to get out of this place and go home as soon as possible.

"I guess you got what you wanted," a voice said, cutting through the otherwise silent room.

It was a voice she knew, but something about it was different. Amy forced herself to sit up, grimacing in pain. She looked across the room and saw Ty sitting in a chair in the corner.

"What?" she whispered, her throat feeling tight and sore.

"You got what you wanted," he repeated, as his gaze slowly moved from the floor toward her, "the baby is gone."

Her breath quickened and she felt herself begin to tremble. "No," was the only word she could force out.

Ty stood up and walked toward her. "You never wanted this baby," he said, "You didn't deserve to be a mother, anyway."

"I-I'm sorry," she told him, her voice growing hoarse, "but I swear, I didn't want this-"

"Don't lie! You've only ever cared about yourself!" he yelled, towering over her.

She shook her head, hot tears running down her face. She wanted to defend herself, but the more she tried to speak, the harder it became to breathe.

"I will never forgive you for this," Ty said, continuing to berate her, "I should never have married you!"

Amy watched, in shock, as he suddenly turned and walked toward the door.

"No, Ty! Please, come back," she begged, "please, don't leave me! I'm sorry!"

Ty stopped, just before stepping through the doorway. Looking back at her, he said, "You need to wake up, Amy."

"Amy... wake up," Ty said, gently shaking his wife. He had come upstairs, after his talk with Jack, only to find Amy tossing and turning in bed; she was mumbling something that sounded like "I'm sorry". By now, he easily recognized when she was having a nightmare. She had them often, whenever something was really bothering or worrying her.

"Don't go," she muttered in her sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her, not sure if she could hear him or not.

"Ty!" she yelled, suddenly sitting upright.

"I'm right here," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, which were shaking.

Amy blinked and looked around the room, then turned to her husband. "Ty," she said, breathlessly, falling into his embrace.

"It's okay," he assured her, "it was just a dream."

"It was awful," she told him, her voice muffled as she cried into his shoulder.

Ty held her close, and listened, as she told him about her dream- how they had lost the baby and the things he had said to her before leaving.

"It seemed so real," she told him, wiping her eyes.

Ty kissed her head. "It was just a dream, we haven't lost the baby-"

"Yet..."

"The baby could be just fine," he said, trying to reassuring her...and himself, "and I would never say those things to you, Amy."

She twisted her wedding ring around her finger and, without looking at Ty, she asked, "Would you think them?"

The question stung. Did she really think he would feel that way? Had he given her reason to? They'd certainly had their share of arguments, ever since she first told him she didn't want kids. He had been shocked and hurt by her admission. At no point, however, did he ever consider leaving her or think that she didn't deserve to be a mother.

"No, Amy... of course not." He rested his head against hers, and tightened his arms around her, "I love you. No matter what happens, I will always love you and I always be here for you."

"I don't want to lose our baby, Ty."

"I know," he said, kissing her cheek, "I know."

Even though she was still afraid of losing the baby, Ty's closeness dispelled any fears she had of losing her husband, too. It gave her hope that, no matter what, she'd be okay... they'd be okay. They would face this together, the same way they faced everything together.

"I can't believe, only a few months ago, I was so scared of becoming a mom. Now... now I'm scared of not getting to be a mom."

Ty loosened his embrace, and leaned away from her. Amy suddenly felt cold, where he had been keeping her warm. She looked at him and watched as he stood up from the side of the bed and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" she asked, wondering if she had said something to upset him.

Quietly, Ty walked around to his side of the bed. He opened a dresser drawer and began rummaging through its contents. Amy continued to watch, still confused by his actions. Then, he pulled something out, shut the drawer, and climbed into the bed from his side.

"Amy," he said firmly, looking her in the eyes and placing his hand on her stomach. "You already are a mother. You have a son or daughter, right here," he said, gently patting her.

He took his hand back and opened a familiar box, he then pulled out the silver necklace that he had bought for her.

"Whatever happens," he said, placing the necklace around her neck, "you are a mom... a good mom, and I don't want you to ever think otherwise."

Amy held onto the charm, feeling the shape of the heart and tracing the letters, M-O-M, with her thumb. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning against her husband, once again.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

Amy lowered her hand from her necklace to her stomach. Looking down, she said, softly, "I love you, little one. I'm sorry I was so scared to be your mom. Please, be okay... I want you... we want you." She looked at Ty and did her best to smile, despite her lips quivering.

Ty smiled back and placed his hand over hers. "We love you so much, already," he told their baby. "You know, your great-grandpa Jack just told me that it's never a bad idea to have hope. So, I'm going to keep hoping for you to be okay. I promise, I'll never give up on you... I'll always be here for you."

"Me too," Amy added, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

"We're going to get through this," Ty said, rubbing his wife's belly, "we're going to be okay."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Amy was sure Ty could feel her hand trembling inside of his. She hated hospitals already, but she was afraid she'd hate them even more after today. She slowly inhaled and tried to relax. As she exhaled, she thought about her first ultrasound. She recalled how amazing it had been to see their baby for the first time and hear the little heartbeat. For a second, she felt herself smile at the memory. But, as quickly as it had come, her smile vanished. She had no idea what the doctor would, or wouldn't, see on the screen this time. She didn't know if she'd get to hear the steady, gentle whooshing sound of the baby's heartbeat. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. They had arrived a little early, hoping the doctor could see them sooner. Now, it was ten minutes past her scheduled appointment time. Another second ticked by. Amy turned her gaze to the door, willing the nurse to come through it and call her name. Suddenly, the door clicked open and a young woman, in bright pink scrubs, stepped into the waiting room. Amy slid forward in her seat, ready to stand up. The nurse glanced at her clipboard, then looked around the room.

"Anna Martin," she called.

Amy groaned and moved back in her seat, as she watched another woman get up and follow the nurse back through the door.

"I really thought she was about to call your name," Ty said, letting go of Amy's hand, so he could put his arm around her, instead.

"Yeah, me too," she said, "I just want to get this over with. I just need to know, either way, so we can start moving on."

"We'll know soon," Ty whispered, kissing her head.

As the next few minutes passed, Amy and Ty sat silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Amy laid her head on Ty's shoulder and fiddled with her necklace. She tried to picture the doctor giving them good news, but also couldn't help imagining the worst. What if this was actually a symptom of a bigger problem? What if there's something wrong with her and she won't ever be able to have a baby?

Praying wasn't something Amy did often, but right now she felt so helpless and she figured it couldn't hurt to try. "Please God," she prayed silently, closing her eyes, "let my baby be okay. I know I didn't want have a baby before, but I do now. So, please, don't take this baby from me. Please, let it live..."

Her prayer was interrupted by Ty nudging her, so she opened her eyes and sat up, wondering what he wanted.

"Amy Fleming?" came a woman's voice from across the room.

"It's time," Ty said, standing up and then helping Amy to her feet.

As eager as she had been to get called back, now that it was time she felt frozen in place. Once they knew for sure, that would be it. If they found out she'd lost the baby, no amount of hope would change that.

"You okay?" Ty asked.

Amy gave a small nod, "Are you?"

"Trying to be," he answered, more honestly than she had. He took her hand in his and they followed behind the nurse, to the ultrasound room.

After the nurse left, having assured them that "the doctor would be in soon", Amy laid on the exam table and tried to get comfortable. Ty pulled a chair up and sat down next to her. "Just a little longer," he whispered, laying his hand on her stomach.

Amy groaned, "I'm sick of waiting."

"I know," he said, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

"How can you be so calm?"

Ty placed her hand on his chest, "do you feel that?"

Amy nodded, feeling his heart pound against her hand.

"I'm not really calm... I'm just good at hiding my nerves," Ty explained, "As a vet, I can't let my nerves show when I'm operating on an animal or treating someone's pet."

"You know you don't have to do that around me, Ty. I'd much rather know that I'm not the only one freaking out," she told him, wiping her eyes.

"You're not," he assured her, as his own eyes began to tear up, "I'm worried, too."

Ty grabbed a nearby tissue and just as he finished his drying his eyes, the door opened. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter as Dr. Campbell walked in the room.

With an empathetic smile, she greeted them and apologized for the wait. "I'm sure you don't want to wait any longer," she said, preparing to do the ultrasound, "so, we'll just get right to it."

Amy and Ty looked at each other. This was it. They were finally about to find out if their baby was okay or not.

As the doctor moved the wand, looking for the baby, Ty tried to watch the screen. However, unlike the last time, the screen wasn't facing them. Ty held his wife's hand tighter, waiting for the doctor to say something.

After what felt like forever, the doctor stopped moving the wand and pushed a few buttons on the ultrasound machine.

Amy tried to read the expression on her face. She wasn't smiling, she just seemed focused on whatever she was seeing. Amy looked at Ty, who gave her a weak smile, then looked back at Dr. Campbell. Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, a familiar sound filled the room.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

Now, a smile stretched across Dr. Campbell's face. She turned the screen toward the young parents and said, "There's your healthy baby."

Ty let out a relieved laugh and kissed his wife's head. "The baby's okay, Amy," he said, staring at the screen. He marveled at how much bigger the baby was, compared to a few weeks ago.

Tears blurred Amy's vision; she tried wiping them away, but they just kept coming. She couldn't stop crying anymore than she could stop smiling, as her emotions overwhelmed her. Through the tears, she could still make out the shape of the baby and see the little arms and legs moving around. Their baby was alive and healthy. "Thank you," she whispered quietly, recalling her prayer in the waiting room.

"So, does this mean there's no longer a risk of miscarriage?" Ty asked.

"Well, even the healthiest pregnancy carries some small risk that something could go wrong. So, it's always important for the mother to take good care of herself and the baby. If anything doesn't feel right, don't hesitate to get it checked out."

Amy and Ty exchanged concerned glances, as they listened.

"But," Dr. Campbell continued, "from what I'm seeing on the ultrasound, I would no longer consider your risk of miscarriage to be any higher than normal. I think it's safe to expect that you'll have a full, healthy pregnancy from this point on." She smiled and patted Amy's hand.

Ty and Amy both sighed in relief. "That's great news," Ty said, "thank you, so much."

Amy was grateful that the doctor gave them a few extra minutes, before she had turn off the machine. After the stress of the past few days, she wanted to appreciate this opportunity to see the baby, hear the heartbeat, and just know everything was okay. She still had six months to go and knew there would probably be new worries along the way; at the moment, however, everything was right in her world and she couldn't be happier.


End file.
